It is common for acting class warm-ups to feature child’s pose, downward dog, happy baby, and other asanas in between lip trills and tongue twisters. After all, our bodies are our instruments – and we need them to be strong and pliable. But what is yoga really about? Is it a way for us to tone up or lose weight to fit the “Broadway body” bill? Is it a way to increase our flexibility, so we can get the next dance solo? Perhaps we have not been honoring yoga properly and if we did, how would that change the theatre industry at large?

It is critical to recognize that yoga is not just a workout or a stretching regime. It is a “spiritual discipline rooted in Hindu philosophy.” The Hindu American Foundation emphasizes that “though yoga is a means of spiritual attainment for any and all seekers, irrespective of faith or no faith, its underlying principles are those of Hindu thought.” While the practice does offer an extraordinary list of health benefits, including “lowering blood pressure, relief of back pain and arthritis, and boosting of the immune system,” that is not its core. In fact, the posture aspect of yoga called “asana” is actually just one in eight limbs of yoga, all of which contribute to a greater union of mind, body, soul, and connection to a higher power. To see yoga as simply a form of exercise is a failure of honoring its origins and intent.

For this reason, it is easy to see how yoga can become commodified and culturally appropriated –especially in an industry that naturally promotes competition between bodies, both in how they look and what they can do. Constantly, we wonder – who can jump the highest? Who is the most flexible? Who can do the fanciest trick? Who is the thinnest, the “fittest,” the most “Broadway ready”? These systems of oppression are intersectional. In yoga, the image of a white, thin, able-bodied, cisgender woman effortlessly bending into an “advanced” asana often overshadows those in marginalized bodies. We are all too familiar with the fact that this mindset can translate onto our mats…and onto our stages.

So does this mean that yoga and musical theatre do not align? Absolutely not. But our intention matters. Yoga isn’t here to help us book a gig in the spotlight – it is here to bring us greater understanding and spiritual awareness. That is how it will bring authenticity and love to our art.

One performer, Nora Moutrane, has developed a donation-based practice called “Musical Theatre Yoga,” pairing musical theatre repertoire with asanas. She describes the process as a way for “artists to tap into their joy” and to “make our community more empathetic, have more self-love, and have more love for each other.”

Nora Moutrane (Headshot by Emily Lambert Photography)

Her goal is to balance the “paradox between the experience of going through the rehearsal process and performing, and that amazing, exhilarating high exchange you get from the audience, the shared experience and how highly vibrational that is,” she explains, “[versus] the toxic, negative energy.” The final asana, shavasana, offers the opportunity to simply listen to a song in mediation. Often, songs become pieces to learn, or shows to book, or ways to show how high we can belt – but in this context, they serve as a form of spiritual connection.

An important aspect of yoga is the practice of non-attachment, diverting energy from personal gain into the service of others. In The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda, Satchidananda writes, “Once you are unattached in your personal life, you can serve others, and by doing that you will find more and more joy” (15). Does this promote the “starving artist” mentality or imply we should not be paid for work? Absolutely not.

Satchidananda writes, “If I am to lead a sacrificial life, how can I eat, how can I clothe myself, or have a home of my own? You can have all these things to equip yourself to serve others. You must have a bed to rest in to feel refreshed in the morning, in order to go out and serve others. You must eat to have enough energy to serve others” (26). It is not about deprivation. It’s about harnessing your energy toward the collective, without attachment to comparison or judgment or external validation. How often at Pearl Studios do we really feel that warm, generous energy?

I vehemently believe that all people, especially actors, benefit from practicing the principles of yoga, on and off the mat. Acting, singing, and dancing are expressions of being. It is impossible for us to separate our essential values and our energy from our work. While I am in great support of integrating asanas into theatre training, it is vital that we recognize its cultural roots, its intent, and its connection to our theatre performance on a holistic level. In this way, we can honor that our gifts are not meant to impress and to compete – but to serve.

Important Read:

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda.

Instagram Resources:

@musicaltheatreyoga

@theunderbellyyoga

@transyogateacher

@yoga.goddess420

@yogagreenbook

@nourishednatasha

@blissfullyyoga

@myvinyasapractice

Yoga for Actors: Beyond the Asanas

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