Yoga and the Performance

I couldn’t sleep much the night before the performance because I was so worried about my physical issues and the multiple roles I would have to play in one show. Fortunately, I felt better than expected when I woke up. Even so, I wasn’t that optimistic about my neck problem as I still felt uncomfortable in my neck and back areas.

As I was looking at my yoga DVD collections, I saw the Yoga Now 3 Set DVD produced by Giam. Because I wasn’t sure how much my body could handle the exercise (the previous night, while doing some yoga practice with another DVD, I was out of breath and dizzy, and almost became sick), I chose a 30-minute core workout instead of a 50-minute one. I grabbed the DVD, spread out a yoga mat, and popped the DVD into my computer. It was time to practice yoga.

After 30 minutes of practice, I felt so refreshed and full of energy that I could have done more. Of course, I decided to stop rather than take a chance of getting sick again before the performance!

This time, I didn’t have to wear a kimono at home and drive with it because I was going to change from a regular costume to a kimono during the play. But I was still worried about driving 45 miles with my stiff neck. Luckily, one of my co-cast members offered to drive together, so we met up halfway between each other’s places, and I hopped into his car.

We arrived at the venue half an hour early, so we continued to drive along the coast. It’s beautiful. I always love the area called Ranch Palos Verdes in California, which is a very wealthy residential area along the Pacific Coast.When we arrived at the elderly home where we would be performing that day, we were all surprised at how breathtaking the view was from the home!! I wouldn’t mind living there even at my age! Hahaha!

We performed the play, I played koto, and then some dancers performed several traditional Japanese dances. I lastly closed the show with another koto solo – so the audience was treated to a full course of traditional Japanese performances!!

After the show, I was exhausted but at the same time so relieved with the fact that I had managed to do everything without feeling any pain or discomfort. What a relief!

Koto Performance and Yoga:

• Why Was I So Busy??
• My Wishes Never Last Long…
• Yoga and the Performance

[tags]yoga, koto performance, play, japanese dancers, Rodney Lee, Giam, Yoga DVD, 30-minutes exercises[/tags]