Struggling to Be Consistent?

Everyone has been there. I understand, life comes in between you and the bansuri. You want - but don't seem to get the time or energy to do it. 

First, let's get it straight. 

What is consistency?

Consistency is practicing every day, or every week, rather than only playing when motivation hits.

Motivation comes and goes, and relying on it will only take you so far.

Whereas consistency as a method will take you further and beyond. In my own experience, consistency creates an upward spiral: more practice leads to deepened skill, more joy, and more motivation, thus feeding the process itself. As they say, "Consistency is key."

How to be more consistent?

#1: Set yourself up for success

I just got a puppy, and one of the first things I heard from a dog trainer was “Set the puppy up for success.”

Same here. Set yourself up for success. Literally.

Set the mood. Sit on something soft. Support your spine with a pillow, or sit on a chair. Use dim light or candles, a blanket if it’s chilly. Boil some water and have a cup of tea (or herbal tea, or coffee). Start the tanpura and forget about the world. Close your eyes and begin with long notes - first one long Sa, or two, or twenty.

The practice begins...

#2: Stay in the loop

Sounds weird, I know, but being consistent makes it easier to be consistent. If you stop for a few days or weeks, it will be much harder (and boring) to get back into practice.

Stay in the loop to stay in the loop to stay in the loop to have much more fun to have much more fun to learn more to get more motivation to learn more to have much more fun

#3: Keep expectations low and patience high

I wanna go back to the dog trainer, because he also told me to keep my expectations low and patience high.

This works here as well.

When it comes to consistency in your practice, set the bar low. Don't make the mistake of going 110% and then failing after three and a half days.

Forget things like “I am going to get up at five every day and practice two hours before work” or “I am going to practice six hours every day for one month.”

If you're not used to it, you will only fail yourself.

Start slow, start soft, start short, remember that consistency is the key here.

Let me explain.

A normal misconception is that if you don't have time to sit for long, it's not worth it.

Consistency ≠ long hours.

Consistency can literally be 5 minutes every evening. Those 5 minutes will take your playing much further than 4 hours every other Sunday. Consistency can also be 30 minutes every Saturday and Sunday morning if you are drowning in duties during the weekdays.

The idea here is to set the bar low so that you set yourself up for success.

Psst... you can always play longer.

#4: Community

I’ll spare you a cheesy “we are stronger together” quote. But tip number four is all about community. 

Connect with other bansuri players.

You’re not alone with your struggles and questions. There are many people out there, some have just started, and others have been playing for many years. Both can add value to your own journey.

With community comes inspiration, accountability, and motivation. It also gives a sense of context. Everyone shares the same passion and is striving to become better. We move together and support each other on the journey.

If that's what you're looking for, we have a great online community with members from all over the world.

👉 Start your free trial here: Online Bansuri Community

Monthly live classes and more than 100 videos with exercises, ragas and techniques so that you never have to look anywhere else for material to practice.

That brings me to:

#5: Find a teacher

Someone who guides you, inspires you, and keeps you on track. Weekly classes or once every two weeks if you feel motivated on your own. It is not only to get material for your practice but actually to stay in it. To have a check-in, to get inspired, to stay in the music. It helps with consistency, since even if you have not practiced on your own, you will be practicing during class. A reason to show up.

I can help you with this.

👉 Book a free call here: Book a Private Class