Ravinia 2026 Issue 6

How Using the Mindset of a Yogi Can Unlock a Musician’s Magic BY KATE HOGAN BERGER AS PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS TRAVELING the world, violinists Melissa White and Elena Urioste craved rou- tine. ey each found it in Bikram yoga before nding each other—and a second phase to their careers. “Anywhere in the world you are, the class is the same every day,” says Urioste of the regimented ‘hot yoga’ practice. “ ere was a real sense of familiarity and home for us both, while we were in this particularly hectic phase of our lives when every week we were in new places. To be able to seek out these stu- dios where it always felt the same was a real source of comfort to both of us.” A er meeting in New York City and bonding over their shared love of yoga, the women launched Intermission, which they describe as “a program that unites body, mind, breath, and music-making through yoga and meditation.” To both of them, yoga feels complementary to the work it takes to be a professional musician. “In music, there is movement,” says White. “We’re talking about phrases moving, conversations between instruments. But really even in the body, we should have movement—music moves us, but o en we’ll see sti players who sort of stop the body and move like, two arms, or their cheeks, for a wind instrument. But the movement could continue and carry from the music through the body out to the audience.” at’s not necessarily a purposeful choice. As White explains, “Neither of us ever had teachers who spoke about the body, or certainly no body parts below the arms. No one was talking about how my feet should be, or what my hip alignment was, or breathing in a conscious, intentional way. Treating the body as the primary instrument in a way a singer might, or an athlete might, that is the crux of it. We are athletes doing these very intense micro-movements, and we deserve to treat ourselves accordingly.” It goes beyond the physical: the mindfulness involved with yoga is important for musicians too, Urioste says. “ at came into play because we really started to think about just how much we beat ourselves up as musicians. We wanted to think about how if we took a step back and thought about how far we’ve come, and what we are able to do—growing from that space of positivity—how much more beautiful the space could be for music-making,” she shares. “In yoga, if you fall from a pose, you didn’t fail at it—you simply fell out, and can get back in at any time. It’s about sustaining that type of thinking.” In their work, the women see musicians of all ages “get excited about feeling strong, not only in their arms, but in their legs, in their core, and in their sense of how they’re taking up space,” says Urioste. “Because that is something we deal with all the time on stage: this idea of anchoring ourselves, of taking up space. And the yoga mat is a great place to practice feeling rooted and centered.” You can tell when a performer is comfortable in their own body, she adds, “and wants to invite the audience into their space. e way that then translates to the stage is kind of magical.” To learn more, visit intermissionsessions.com. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 23 , 2026 16 DANIELCAVAZOS