The Aligned Musician

Dr. Kim Hankins

My name is Kimberly Hankins, DMA, PD, RYT500, and I am a Violist and Trauma-Informed Yoga + Breathwork Facilitator. I created this podcast to empower musicians to find their own path to healing, normalize talking about our struggles without shame, consider practical solutions, and discuss ways to improve music education and performance through musicians wellness. *TW: Normalizing discussions around musicians wellness struggles means that we often talk about challenging topics on this podcast, including but not limited to: mental health, disordered eating, physical health, and trauma. alignedmusician.substack.com

  1. Feb 27

    Release Tension When Performing

    Check out my blog posts that relate to this topic:Performing Without Unnecessary Tension Are you nervous or is it your nervous system?Trauma Informed Music Teaching (or this podcast episode)The Best Way to Practice For more musicians wellness content and FREE weekly practices visit alignedmusician.substack.com For more about me, visit my website! alignedmusician.comGet a 1:1 session with me when you sign up for my Yoga for Musicians Course.Join me for online and in-person concerts and movement practices by visiting my Event Calendar. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alignedmusician.substack.com/subscribe

    Release Tension When Performing

  2. 12/17/2025

    On Avoiding Injury

    Weekly Practice and Musicians Wellness Content alignedmusician.substack.com Yoga and Meditation insighttimer.com/alignedmusician Performing Arts Medicine Association - Referral Directoryhttps://pama.memberclicks.net/referral-directory For more on avoiding injury, check out these articles: 5 Tips to Avoid Injury this Holiday Season10 Things I Do To Avoid Playing With Pain This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alignedmusician.substack.com/subscribe

  3. 10/09/2025

    A Musician Accessible (and Audio Only) Yoga Practice

    Move, breathe, and bring your awareness inward with this audio-only yoga asana practice. I start with updates, some ideas for consideration during your practice, and then we begin at 9:50. Please read this short disclaimer before you practice with this recording: https://alignedmusician.com/disclaimer Here are ways to stay in-touch with me: alignedmusician.com/eventsCalendar of all upcoming events insighttimer.com/alignedmusicianFree yoga and meditation alignedmusician.substack.comFree Musicians Wellness content and live yoga for musicians classes instagram.com/alignedmusicianConnect with me on instagram! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alignedmusician.substack.com/subscribe

    A Musician Accessible (and Audio Only) Yoga Practice

  4. 09/25/2025

    My Time Management Life Hacks

    In this episode, I break down my overall strategy for staying organized, avoiding stress, and maintaining motivation. I’ve included some ideas from my substack articles: Time Management - Part 1, Time Management - Part 2, and My Ultimate Practice Journal. Here are some of the tools I mentioned: Google Calendar Sugar Paper Planner Focused Space ClearSpace *I am not sponsored or endorsed in any way; I just want to share because these tools have helped me so much! Here are ways to stay in-touch with me: alignedmusician.com/eventsCalendar of all upcoming events insighttimer.com/alignedmusicianFree yoga and meditation alignedmusician.substack.comFree Musicians Wellness content and live yoga for musicians classes instagram.com/alignedmusicianConnect with me on instagram! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alignedmusician.substack.com/subscribe

    My Time Management Life Hacks

  5. 08/06/2025

    What musicians can learn from the Yamas and Niyamas

    17:20 - On the practice of Yoga and the Eight-Limbs as described by Patanjali. 24:15 - Talking through the Yamas and Niyamas and things for musicians to consider or journal on. alignedmusician.com/events Calendar of all upcoming events insighttimer.com/alignedmusician Free yoga and meditation alignedmusician.substack.com Free Musicians Wellness content and live yoga for musicians classes instagram.com/alignedmusician Connect with me on instagram! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alignedmusician.substack.com/subscribe

    What musicians can learn from the Yamas and Niyamas

  6. 10/19/2021

    35. Honoring Ourselves: Mind, Body, Soul, Music with Jenna Siladie

    Soprano Jenna Siladie has earned warm acclaim, praised by the New York Times for her "endearing sweet voice", and hailed by the European press as having a “both warm and shimmering tone". ​The 2019/20 season has heralded in a string of successes, including the role debut as Marguerite in Faust, as well as Arianna in the Handel opera Giustino: "The soprano Jenna Siladie, who in the role of Arianna shows vocally, why she is the star of the young ensemble." ​In  2018 Jenna joined the prestigious ensemble at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Austria, singing the lead heroine of Élisabeth in Verdi’s Don  Carlos. Der Standard noted, “the most harmonious performance of the production goes to Jenna Siladie whose beautiful Élisabeth combines elegance, fullness, and vocal warmth and luminosity.” In the autumn of 2017, she made her Germany debut as a guest at Oper Wuppertal, singing Gutrune in Götterdämmerung, being praised for singing  “with passion and sweet soprano sound which is seldom heard” (Die  Deutsche Bühne). She saw the addition of two new roles in the spring of 2017 as Adina in L'elisir d'amore with St. Petersburg Opera Company and then Lauretta in Opera Company of Middlebury's production of Il trittico. Ms. Siladie's additional operatic credits include Micaela in Carmen, Iolanta in Iolanta (Tchaikovsky), Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. She made her NYC debut with Gotham Chamber Opera in 2014, performing the respective leading roles of Popelka and Armande in a double bill production of Bohuslav Martinů's operas Veselohra na mostě and Alexandre Bis. Other NYC highlights include the leading role of Léontine in the U.S premiere of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges' 1780 opera L'amant anonyme (March 2016). A  frequent concert and recital soloist, Ms. Siladie made her Carnegie Hall debut in June 2017 as soloist in John Rutter's Mass of the Children and has been a favorite guest with Carolina Philharmonic. Further concert appearances throughout the United States have seen her in Santa  Fe NM, New Haven CT, and Vero Beach Opera in Florida. She has also appeared in Lieder programs throughout Austria. Ms. Siladie earned her Master of Music from Yale University, where she "showed fine, round tone in the title role" of Tchaikovsky's final opera Iolanta, and was "particularly impressive and created a very memorable character out of Lucia" (Hartford Courant) in The Rape of Lucretia. Ms. Siladie also earned her Bachelor of Music from Stetson University, where she notably appeared as soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah with the  Stetson University Orchestra and Choral Union. "Jenna Siladie, an EBULLIENT soprano with great stage presence SPARKLED" - Wall Street Journal Website: https://www.jennasiladie.com Facebook: Jenna Siladie, Soprano Instagram: @jennasiladie @upwardfacingsoprano In this episode we talk about: - Jenna's health and wellness journey during the pandemic - Being a professional musician / opera singer in Europe vs. US - Teaching Yoga in Ukraine - Performance Anxiety TW: exercise bulimia, disordered eating, performance anxiety, mental and physical health This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alignedmusician.substack.com/subscribe

    35. Honoring Ourselves: Mind, Body, Soul, Music with Jenna Siladie

  7. 09/13/2021

    34. The Wide Scope of Wellness with Ashley Downs

    Ashley Downs MS, RDN, LDN, CPT has worked as a dietitian and personal trainer in various settings. As a dietitian, she has worked with athletes and designed wellness programs for clinical outpatient settings.  She earned both a BS and MS in NutritNutritionon and Dietetics from Saint Louis University and her Master's Thesis was on the nutrition habits of collegiate performing artists. 
 After she started working as a clinical dietitian, she felt like something was missing. She found that missing piece in acting and earned a BFA in Acting from Lindenwood University Belleville.  Instagram: @Performing.Wellness  Live Group Movement every Thursday at 12:30 pm on Instagram Website: https://www.myperformingwellness.com In this episode we talk about: - Ashley’s wellness journey - Importance of building habits to create sustainable wellness success for performers - 15min Warmup  - Applying the ‘wellness wheel’ to performing arts wellness - Being a neurodivergent human and performing artist - Having ‘me’ time as a form of spiritual wellness - Occupational wellness and the differences in sports vs performing arts wellness - It’s ok to ask for help! - Goal and task planning - Advocating for our own wellness as a  professional performing artist Sensitive Topics: mental health, diet culture, hospitalization, neurodivergence App mentioned: Toggl Track https://toggl.com/track/toggl-desktop This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alignedmusician.substack.com/subscribe

    34. The Wide Scope of Wellness with Ashley Downs

  8. 09/04/2021

    33. Music as Service with Randall Head

    Randall used to live the corporate life, working in big advertising agencies and video game companies in NYC and California. But after he lost his father, his job, his house, and his music studio all within a few months, he retreated from the matrix and found refuge in Yoga. With time and practice, he’s been able to find peace, balance, and joy despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Randall completed his RYT200hr in Sri Lanka during 2020; received his Pranayama certification through The Breath Center in 2019; graduated from LSU with a degree in Communications in 2013; and has been playing music since 1998.  Website: www.switchtheflip.com  Instagram: @randallhead @switchtheflipp In this episode we talk about: - Randall’s path to becoming a yoga and breathwork facilitator in Sri Lanka - The importance of Sacred Masculine work - Yoga beyond the physical practice - Kirtan and the beauty of helping people find their voice - Meditation and musical experiences - My experience of healing trauma through yoga, finding yoga about 14 years ago, becoming a breathwork facilitator - The power of holding space TW: death, suicide, trauma, ptsd, natural disasters, guns, looting, theft, homelessness Bhakti Fest  Sacred Sons  Michael Brian Baker Books:  ‘King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine’ by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette ‘From Chivalry to Terrorism: War and the Changing Nature of Masculinity’ by Leo Braudy Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alignedmusician.substack.com/subscribe

    33. Music as Service with Randall Head
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

My name is Kimberly Hankins, DMA, PD, RYT500, and I am a Violist and Trauma-Informed Yoga + Breathwork Facilitator. I created this podcast to empower musicians to find their own path to healing, normalize talking about our struggles without shame, consider practical solutions, and discuss ways to improve music education and performance through musicians wellness. *TW: Normalizing discussions around musicians wellness struggles means that we often talk about challenging topics on this podcast, including but not limited to: mental health, disordered eating, physical health, and trauma. alignedmusician.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Kim Hankins
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kim Hankins
  • Show Website
    The Aligned Musician