A successful audition can be a sliding doors moment that takes you from pouring pints or temping on reception to starring in a West End musical or strolling into the Queen Vic as a long-lost love child. It can mean the difference between buying almost-off food from the reduced shelves in Asda, to eating posh Shepherd\u2019s Pie at The Ivy in Covent Garden. It can catapult you from placating angry customers in a call centre, to being interviewed on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s so much riding on it that there\u2019s a high chance you\u2019re feeling nervous. Your breath may be shallow, your heart may be palpitating, and sweat may be dripping down your back. In such a stressed-out state, it\u2019s tricky to present your best self \u2013 let alone remember the lines you\u2019ve tried your hardest to memorise.<\/p>\n
But there\u00a0is a sure-fire way to calm yourself before a potentially life-changing audition. It\u2019s free, it\u2019s legal, and it\u2019s scientifically proven. May I introduce you\u2026 to yoga.<\/p>\n
According to psychologist\u00a0Hope Bastine, yoga can dramatically reduce anxiety. \u201cStudies show that when we do a one-hour yoga class, we experience a 27% spike in GABA,\u201d says Hope, explaining that GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter that lowers anxiety and reduces stress. \u201cNo anti-anxiety medication can produce that,\u201d says Hope, which means that when it comes to frayed nerves, yoga is an organic wellness wonder drug.<\/p>\n
This comes as no surprise to Will Wheeler, an actor turned full-time yoga instructor, who found yoga indispensable during his time as a jobbing actor. \u201cI think that having this toolbox of different yoga poses and breathing exercises is really useful. It gives you a way to centre yourself in the waiting room before an audition, and allows you to have a mini check-in with yourself, to re-establish your breath, see how your mind is, and just get back into your body,\u201d says Will, who runs the Level Six yoga studio in London.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike most actors, I did yoga and body awareness as part of my movement lessons,\u201d says Will, who trained at Bird College and the National Youth Theatre. \u201cOne of my movement teachers had done a lot of yoga in India, so that\u2019s how I got my first taste of it!\u201d After leaving drama school, Will spent a month in Morocco training as a yoga instructor, before coming back to London to teach yoga part-time while working as an actor.<\/p>\n
With acting jobs including performing in the Olympic opening ceremonies, doing movement and physical theatre at the Royal Opera House, and appearing in Downton Abbey, Will found that yoga was the ideal accompaniment to acting. \u201cThe combination worked really well, because for actors you mustn\u2019t just train then stop \u2013 you need to have a continued body awareness. And then of course there are all the other benefits, like mental wellbeing. Yoga allows your breath to slow down and that helps with anxiety. When your breath is calm, your mind is calm,\u201d says Will.<\/p>\n
So how exactly can yoga help to calm your nerves before an audition? Here\u2019s a practical guide:<\/p>\n
The night before an audition, feelings of excitement, self-doubt and anxiety can all crop up, keeping sleep at bay. But getting a good night\u2019s rest is incredibly important, because as Hope explains, \u201cwhen we don\u2019t sleep well, it causes us to feel more stressed the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luckily, the spike in GABA that we get as a result of doing yoga can help us to get a good night\u2019s sleep. \u201cGABA converts to serotonin, which is the beginning of the cascade towards melatonin production so it eventually converts to melatonin, which helps us sleep,\u201d explains Hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are more yoga studios in London than ever before, so if you can get to one, it\u2019s a great way to develop your practise,\u201d says Will, who adds that there are also lots of yoga videos online. So what\u2019s the best option the night before an audition? \u00a0Hope points out that if you do yoga at home, then stay in that relaxed environment, you\u2019ll feel the benefits of the yoga session right up until you go to sleep – whereas if you go to a yoga studio, then have a stressful journey home, you won\u2019t retain the benefits of the yoga session to quite the same degree.<\/p>\n
\n\nThere is a sure-fire way to calm yourself before a potentially life-changing audition. It\u2019s free, it\u2019s legal, and it\u2019s scientifically proven. May I introduce you\u2026 to yoga.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\nEither way, if you\u00a0do<\/em>\u00a0get to bedtime and you\u2019re struggling to drift off, Will recommends a relaxing yoga pose called \u201clegs up the wall.\u201d He says: \u201cLie on your back with your bum and your hips flush to the wall, with your legs completely straight, resting them against the wall. Hold the pose for 8-10 minutes, perhaps with a lavender eye pillow over your eyes, or wearing an eye mask, because the darkness could be soothing before bed. Breathe in for a count of four, and out for a count of six, because a slightly slower exhale is very calming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Breakfast Time Composure<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u201cIf you can spare 10-15 minutes or longer, try to do a home practise before leaving the house on the day of the audition,\u201d says Will. And don\u2019t worry about learning an eclectic array of poses, because you\u2019ll benefit from repetition. Hope explains: \u201cTraditionally in yoga, you\u2019d start the class with multiple vinyasas, building up to 108. This repetition is like a ritual – it gets you focusing on the present moment, and into a flow state, which is a calm state of awareness. When actors are auditioning, that\u2019s the state of mind they need to be in. They don\u2019t want to be stuttering and tense and anxious; they want to have a smooth flow in their actions. Anxiety causes us to forget our lines; flow causes remembering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tranquil Travel<\/strong><\/h3>\n
If your morning\u2019s jam packed and you\u2019ve rushed out of the house without even glancing at your yoga mat, Will suggests slipping in a simple seated pose en route to the audition. \u201cSukhasana is usually done cross-legged on the floor, but you can do it on the tube or in the park, if you can stop for five minutes on your way.\u201d Describing the pose, Will says: \u201cIf you\u2019re sitting in a chair, rest your hands on your knees or your thighs, with your palms face down because this is grounding. Keep your elbows soft, so your shoulders can move away from your ears, as this will allow your neck to be free of tightness. Lengthen your spine, and take deep breaths, then do a visualisation exercise. Start by noticing how your head is, then focus on the edge of the nose, and the rings of the nostrils, then your throat. Notice if you\u2019re tensing your jaw, or holding any facial expressions. Notice the shoulders, are they up by the ears? Follow your breath into the ribs and the belly and then notice the diaphragm. Scanning the body and making simple changes is great for everyone – especially actors, because it allows us to free ourselves of tension.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meditate While You Wait<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u201cArrive for the audition early, and allow time to centre and calm yourself,\u201d says Will. He recommends taking the simple seated pose, and suggests a counted breath as an alternative to the visualisation exercise. \u201cSo inhale for four, silently counting, \u2018inhale, two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four\u2019. Alternatively, there\u2019s a great meditation app called Headspace, which offers simple poses you might find in yoga, along with mindfulness exercises.\u201d<\/p>\n
And if you have rushed in at the last minute? \u201cThree deep breaths will reduce the heart rate, and just a few minutes of deep breathing can reduce anxiety levels,\u201d says Hope, who suggests this quick fix for anyone who\u2019s cutting it super fine: \u201cTouch your toes for 27 seconds, keeping your mind on your breath. Studies show that this will calm us down and reset the nervous system.\u201d<\/p>\n