Did you know that both beginners and experienced musicians alike can experience some form of stage fright or nervousness before a performance? Here are 3 simple steps and 3 practical tips to overcome stage fright, anxiety and fear long term, not just temporarily. These feelings can affect us outside of music performance as well, so you will learn how to apply this understanding to your daily life and discover a deeper freedom of being.

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Here are some topic covered in the video:

0:00 Intro and brief raga improvisation
0:50 The journey of practicing music and the relationship between individual practice and performing in front of and with people
2:13 The 1st step to overcoming stage fright, anxiety and fear: Discovering an innate aspect of you that does not have stage fright and is witnessing your experience. You can call this Awareness, Pure Witness, or Beingness for example. Guided exploration and explanation to discover that this Awareness is aware of your arising experiences but is not caught up or affected by them.
5:35 Step 2: Recognizing that your arising experiences and sensations, including stage fright, anxiety and fear, have may have an important function.
8:17 Recap of Steps 1 and 2
8:29 Step 3: How to overcome stage fright, anxiety and fear by not resisting or clinging to the experience, sensation, emotions or thoughts, and allowing it to arise and pass through. As this passes through, continue to rest in the feeling of Awareness.
10:09 Practical tip 1: After step 1-3, when you get ready to play, use a few long tones to relax and center yourself before playing.
10:35 Practical tip 2: Answering the “what if?” and other pre-performance fears, ie: what if I forget everything I practiced? Be better prepared for your performance by practicing in advance, and enough that you can play effortlessly.
13:14 Practical tip 3: If possible, choose songs to perform that are appropriate for your skill level and that you can realistically and comfortably perform well in the time you have to prepare. Why chasing a very difficult piece or musical accomplishment may not always be the best choice.
13:53 What the deepest function of music really is.
14:59 How to apply this understanding and technique to day to day life anxiety and fear
16:25 Two causes for anxiety and fear and how to handle them.
17:35 Examples to illustrate the mental tendency of clinging to experience that prevents anxiety and fear from dissipating.