WHO IS THE PIANO-YOGA® BOOK FOR?

Suitable for advanced beginners* through intermediate to advanced players

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*An advanced beginner can read music fairly well, but cannot yet play freely
 

As long as you can read music or have excellent ear skills or knowledge of theory, you can benefit from Piano-Yoga® "Transform Your Hands: A complete ten week course of piano exercises".

The method suits professional musicians and amateur players, teachers and students. There is no need to wait until you are confident in piano playing to start practising Piano-Yoga® method. It can benefit people from all professions, all nationalities and a wide age group (from 14-15yrs upwards).

The Piano-Yoga® method has been devised mainly for adult players in mind. However, due to popular demand, Piano-Yoga® for Kids is currently being developed.

Detailed below are the chapters of Piano-Yoga® 'Transform Your Hands: A complete ten week course of piano exercises' which show the appropriate stages for various levels of playing:
 
1. Preliminary Stage: Foundation Piano-Yoga®. 

For advanced-beginner, intermediate and advanced pianists

In this chapter you will be introduced to the Preliminary Stage: Foundation Piano-Yoga®.

This stage is important, as it will prepare your hands and your mind for more advanced exercises in further stages. It introduces the fundamentals of Piano-Yoga® and is very different from all other chapters, as the majority of exercises here can be done away from the piano: in a car, in a park, in your living room or bedroom - whenever you have a minute.

Many students, from beginners to advanced, enjoy doing these exercises to help them warm up and focus at the beginning of their piano lessons.

2. Stage One: Core Piano-Yoga®  for small and large hands.

 For intermediate and advanced pianists

In this chapter you will be introduced to Stage One: Core Piano-Yoga®.

This stage is the most important in the whole course which is why it is referred to as Core Piano-Yoga®. It was originally created by GéNIA as a primary set of piano exercises to help her safely increase her hand span.

All the other stages were created later and work in conjunction with Stage One: Core Piano-Yoga®. The Preliminary Stage: Foundation Piano-Yoga® was developed as preparation and Stage Two: Yin Piano-Yoga® and Stage Three: Advanced Piano-Yoga® were created as further development.

GéNIA, creator of Piano-Yoga®:

"Originally I only created what is now Part One of this chapter - For Small Hands. However after continuously coming across students with larger hands, I realized that they too could also benefit from this programme, as it not only allows you to stretch the muscles which work the fingers and hands, but can also help strengthen them faster than using a majority of traditional exercises and scales.

Many of my students asked me to create what is now Part Two of this chapter - For Large Hands. This part can also be attempted by people with smaller hand sizes, providing they have already increased the span and stretch in their hands by practising Part One - For Small Hands for at least three weeks and feel comfortable with the bigger stretches detailed in Part Two"

Many students, from beginners to advanced enjoy doing these exercises to help them warm up and focus at the beginning of their piano lessons."

3. Stage Two: Yin Piano-Yoga® 
For intermediate and advanced pianists

In this chapter, you will be introduced to Stage Two: Yin Piano-Yoga®.

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At first glance, this stage may seem very simple, but in reality it can be extremely powerful. It is recommended that you practise it immediately after Stage One, or after any intense technical work at the piano, as your hands should be warm and your fingers moderately strong before beginning this stage.

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Combined with optional breathwork, these exercises may help to increase the stretching capacity of your fingers even further.

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Yin Piano-Yoga® can also be helpful before concerts, examinations and performances. If you follow the instructions in this chapter, you may experience a sense of calm in both body and mind during and after working on these exercises. This can help you achieve the right frame of mind before performing.

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With the correct approach, you will feel a deep physical, mental and spiritual connection to your instrument.

4. Stage Three: Advanced Piano-Yoga® 
For advanced pianists

In this chapter you will be introduced to Stage Three: Advanced Piano-Yoga®.

This is the final stage of the whole course. By the time you reach Stage Three, if you have been following all the instructions from the previous stages correctly, your fingers should be stronger and your hand span wider than when you started.

GéNIA, creator of Piano-Yoga®:

"I created Stage Three when I started getting too familiar with the exercises from the previous stages. These were developed to be more challenging while still continuing the work on the strength and span of my hand.

Some of the exercises here sound like short minimalist pieces. You can also play around with varying the rhythms of each one, so each time they sound fresh!"

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The exercises in Stage Three: Advanced Piano-Yoga® may require more then four weeks to master and designed with the advanced pianists in mind. Only do them if they feel comfortable and if the hands start to get tired stop and rest. It is highly recommended you play the exercises from Stage Three together with the exercises from ALL the previous stages.

If you are an advanced pianist and feel that you are out of practice, play Stages One, Two and Three together daily.

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GéNIA has also launched a Piano-Yoga® video course based on the book, in which she explains the method in detail and guides you through the exercises so you can practise alongside her.

The course consists of 34 episodes and also includes bonus episodes, offering additional resources to support the material presented in the book. Click here to watch!