My life always had a beat to it. My Dad’s a drummer, my brother’s a drummer and my son’s a drummer. I spent years as a drummer’s girlfriend and decades pounding the dance floor to the beat of the drums. If it wasn’t for rhythm I never would have become a yoga teacher. Dance informed my yoga and it was the expression of music more than anything that got me going.

Given that, it’s only natural that I wondered what postures would benefit a drummer’s body and I thank my friend and student Ron Gannaway for letting me know what works for him. For the purpose of this video we couldn’t show you everything but I hope this represents.

Not just drummers but anyone who sits for long periods will want back bending and twists to restore the curves of the spine. If you wield drum sticks for hours at a time you’ll want stable but supple shoulders and flexibility in the ribs and spine to allow the flow of energy from the core through the arms without injury to the neck or lower back. The wrists and forearms on a drummer are more developed than most of ours and they require some tender loving care. Flex, press, bounce the foot to kick the base. Tap, slap, snap the foot for the rap on the high hat. The shins and ankles get crazy active too.

The yoga stretches in this video are a taste of drummer liberation. No video can take the place of a yoga teacher.