Mindful Musicianship: Enhancing Optimal Performance - by Larissa Hall Carlson

COURSE

Mindful Musicianship: Enhancing Optimal Performance

With Larissa Hall Carlson

Boost peak performance! Whether classical or contemporary, solo or ensemble, singer or instrumentalist, mindfulness can help you effectively enhance optimal performance. Over 10 sessions, you’ll learn to navigate common challenges like tension, pressure, discursive thoughts, or stage fright through classic, secular, evidence-informed mindfulness techniques that boost focus, presence, and precision. Through educational theory and skill-building exercises tailored to the unique needs of professional musicians, you’ll discover ways to reduce performance-related stress while cultivating composure, clarity, and creativity. Uncover the power of concise, straightforward, research-informed mindful breathing and meditation practices for elevating your musicianship! Gather the knowledge and expertise you need to practice mindfulness on your own--enhancing confidence, poise, and excellence.

PerformanceStressStress & AnxietyMusicBody ScanConcentrationMindfulnessSecularCreativityMindfulness MeditationSecular MindfulnessBreathing Meditation

Meet your Teacher

Larissa Hall Carlson
Vermont, USA

Larissa Hall Carlson, M.A., is a mindfulness, yoga, and Ayurveda educator with over 15 years of teaching experience at some of our country’s most prestigious institutions, including The Boston Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, Nashville Ballet, Juilliard School, and Tanglewood Music Center. Larissa leads workshops and trainings around the world, with specialized coaching for musicians, artists, executives, and educators in high-performance environments. She has been featured in Elephant Journal, Men’s Journal, The Washington Post, Yoga Journal, MindBodyGreen, and Dr. Oz: The Good Life. Larissa is known for her exceptional knowledge, deep practice, and professionalism.

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10 Days

1.3k students

5.0 stars

14 min / day

Performance

English

Lesson 1

Preamble: Alignment, Flow & Breath Control

Welcome! In this introductory session, we’ll set the course foundation by identifying noteworthy similarities between mindfulness and optimal performance states (flow states). To support you in thriving as a performer, we’ll identify the approach for increasing focus, relaxation, and composure through mindfulness, and discuss the research-informed value of daily “mini” meditations. After identifying seated alignment essentials for a comfortable practice, we’ll conclude with a mindful breathing technique that enhances presence, calmness, and clarity.

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Lesson 2

Diminishing Fright: Benevolence Meditation

Whether you feel restless, agitated, or fidgety before performing, this kindness practice can help restore a calm confidence. This efficacious, clear-cut meditation was originally intended to diminish worry and fear, but it is also beneficial for lessening negative self-talk. and discursive thoughts. Studies have shown it to reliably boost concentration and increase compassion—an essential mindfulness technique when feeling nervous, apprehensive, or uneasy before auditions, rehearsals, or performances. We’ll explore repeating kind words in three classic steps.

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Lesson 3

Limitlessness: Alternate-Nostril Breathing

After learning to enhance calmness and ease, we now explore how to enhance focus and attention—excellent when feeling scattered or jostled before taking the stage. The alternate-nostril breath is customarily used to quiet the mind with its smooth, relaxing rhythm. This is a valuable technique to use anywhere, anytime (great for the rehearsal space or green room). In addition to boosting concentration and present-moment awareness, this serene mindful breathing tool can help you get a good night’s sleep—handy for quickly steadying, soothing, and calming before or after performing!

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Lesson 4

Sweeping Relief: Body Scan Meditation

Now that we’ve established a foundation for increasing mindful attention, we’ll explore a research-based relaxation technique evidenced to reduce performance-related stress, support pain relief, and alleviate exhaustion. Through a seated body scan meditation, discover how to efficiently relax and rejuvenate, while enhancing presence, concentration, body awareness, and poise. This is one of the most widely-used secular meditations for stress-relief, rejuvenation, and clarity—a priceless tool for enhancing mindful musicianship.

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Lesson 5

Intermission: Quietness Within Breath

In this session, learn ways to draw the mind immediately back to the present moment and effectively boost focus with brief breath retentions. These powerful techniques require amplified attention and delicate control—helping foster self-regulation, single-mindedness, and inner calmness. We’ll explore brief external and internal breath retentions—both sharpen concentration and help enhance optimal performance states (flow states). By relaxing into the holdings, build the capacity to be with intensity in a relaxed, calm, composed manner - a tremendously valuable tool for enduring fortitude and peaceful resilience.

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Lesson 6

Radiant Calm: Equanimity Meditation

Today’s lesson focuses on generating radiant calm and maintaining inner poise. Learn to establish steadiness of mind and evenness of mood, which can support you no matter how intense the performance pressure gets. This trusty practice is commonly used to help reduce music performance stress and anxiety, while simultaneously increasing concentration. We’ll discuss how equanimity meditation impacts dedication, perseverance, and flourishing, enhancing the ability to skillfully and calmly navigate the changing twists and turns of life as a performing artist.

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Lesson 7

Cultivating Creativity: Open Awareness Meditation

Today we’ll invite increased harmony, peace, and quiet through a refreshing open awareness meditation. This time-honored mindfulness technique can be used to expand the mind, refresh inspiration, and cultivate creativity. Commonly practiced to start or end the day, it can support musicianship through its far-reaching focus—a tonic to revitalize enthusiasm and spark new aspirations; a delightfully spacious practice to improve inner buoyancy and lucidity when feeling languid, unmotivated, or listless.

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Lesson 8

Unwavering Attention: Breath-Based Meditation

Despite the plentiful joys of doing what you love, demanding performance responsibilities can sometimes trigger frustration, jealousy, or resentment—all potentially distracting and destructive. Today we’ll explore the treasured, widely-used, evidence-informed practice of breath-based meditation. We’ll begin with some mindful breathing to release mental clutter, then explore breath-based meditation to clear the mind, renew contentment, increase concentration, and boost inner calm.

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Lesson 9

Fostering Focus: Pre-Performance Mindfulness Sequence

In today’s session, we’ll pull it all together with a home practice tailored to the unique needs of musicians. Foster ease, focus, and poise before auditions, rehearsals, and performances with this short mindfulness sequence. We’ll string together a seated body scan meditation, counting breaths, and equanimity meditation—a sequence designed to help reduce performance-related stress while enhancing optimal performance states. Consider weaving this into your daily routine for enduring mindfulness and well-being.

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Lesson 10

Encore: Mindfulness Sequence To Foster Relaxation

In our final session, we’ll unwind, inviting inner peace, relaxation, and rejuvenation through a mindfulness sequence designed for post-performance (or post-rehearsal). We’ll string together alternate-nostril breathing and a supine body scan meditation—a sequence intended to help settle the nerves, release tension, and digest the experiences of the day. Reflecting on all that we’ve learned, we’ll contemplate how daily “mini” meditations can reduce common performance challenges and thereby allow more opportunity for joy, creativity, skillfulness, and excellence.

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5.0 (23)

Recent Reviews

Bearcat

April 7, 2025

That was very good. It served as a refresher for the basic techniques, which was very helpful for someone like myself seeking to resume regular practice. You've presented this as "for musicians", but it's useful for everyone. These techniques ase helpful when preparing to give a presentation, have a difficult discussion, take an exam, or for any other stressful situation. As a person with mild dyslexia I found it stressful to keep track of the alternate nostril breathing, as a lot of my attention was on which I was supposed to switch to. I got confused and had to restart a few times. It was much easier for me to breathe in and out of one side and then switch.

Neta

Neta

December 16, 2024

Thank you for this beautiful course.

KB

KB

May 23, 2023

Highly recommend! I did this course leading up to a performance. I hadn’t sung in front of an audience since before the start of the pandemic in 2020. Even though the gig was low-key and mostly duets & supporting vocals (no scary solos :), I was worried at how nervous I might feel. I’ve always struggled with stage fright, sometimes crippling. Over the years I’ve tried many relaxation techniques and meditations to help my state of pre-performance mind but I found this particularly helpful. Fast forward to the show: I can’t remember feeling that relaxed and confident. It felt a bit miraculous after 3+ years! Again, the show wasn’t high pressure but in the past that rarely made a difference for my anxiety. Larissa’s guidance is grounding, calming, and wise. Thank you so much, Larissa.

Regena

April 19, 2023

Just what I needed! I meditated all day with this app, got to the stage an hour before call to get acclimated to our space and the piano, and had a wonderful performance. Thank you for centering my soul, calming my body, enhancing my mind, and helping me connect with other performers and audience. It truly was a magical experience. 🎶💕 I had 2 pieces that were technically very challenging and they went about the best they could have gone. It felt amazing. As I get older, I find myself questioning if I have the energy to do this. But with this new body, soul, mind experience… I believe I can continue to play. Thank you so very much for this new found energy and stage presence. 🙏

Joseph

Joseph

March 30, 2022

This course helped me a lot with my nervousness before my stage performance. Thank you!

Larissa

Larissa

August 22, 2021

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