Stay fit during Margazhi

With the season being the most gruelling for artists, here are tips on staying fit during the month
Come Margazhi, it’s time to take care of one’s throat and health. Especially, it’s a hard time for musicians performing who is susceptible for being affected by cold and dust. A musician is like an athlete who should be robust in order to perform well. Violinist Yehudi Menuhin was a practitioner of yoga and incorporated yoga and relaxing techniques before concerts. Here are some tips for musicians to stay fit during performances.
• Drink a lot of warm water. For vocalists, warm water with a dash of honey in the morning helps in maintaining a good voice. Take frequent sips in between a concert to avoid dryness in the throat.
• Cover your ears, so that the chill Margazhi air will not affect you. Diet plays a major role for proper maintenance of voice and health of a musician.
• Drink hot plain tea, ginger tea, green tea or milk with pepper, which will be soothing for the voice. Avoid spicy food. This holds good for the instrumentalist too.
• Avoid oily and cold items. Before the concert, eat something light, like a sandwich or some biscuits or fruit to keep the energy levels up. For instrumentalists, do some stretches and messages for the hands, arms and fingers. A warm water massage will also do good. Relax the hands/arms for a few minutes.
• Proper physical posture while sitting is very important for both vocalists and instrumentalists. Take care to sit upright and have a neutral posture.
• Long and deep breathing exercises in the mornings and before the concert for a few minutes is definitely helpful.
• Do some warming up exercises for the throat before actually starting a concert. For instrumentalists, warming up exercises like sarali, janta or dhatu in different speeds wll help in flexibility of the fingers.
• Avoid speaking loudly for vocalists, have limited conversations and talk softly. Instrumentalists should avoid lifting heavy items.
• Meditate for a few minutes in the mornings and just before the concert.
• More than everything, relaxing totally for a few minutes will work wonders and of course have a strong mind. Good sleep, balanced diet and the right use of techniques will aid in musicians performing at ease.