Breath, Rhythm, and Music: New Workshop Combines Them to Improve Wellbeing
Created by CFA's Igor Iwanek, the program teaches students to rely on a resource they have at all times - their breath
Breath, Rhythm, and Music: New Workshop Combines Them to Improve Wellbeing
Created by CFA’s Igor Iwanek, the program teaches students to rely on a resource they have at all times – their breath
This piece (video + text) was originally published in BU Today on January 31, 2025. Text by Kayla Baltazar (COM’27). Video by Brendan Capuano. Photo by Cydney Scott
EXCERPT
Imagine yourself as a computer. Your body is the device’s hardware, and your mind is the software. Laptops have charging blocks—so what is the thing that charges our bodies?
According to Igor Iwanek, a College of Fine Arts lecturer in music and music theory, breath is the body and mind’s most important power station. In addition to being a versatile musician (he’s steeped in both Western and Indian Classical music), Iwanek is an internationally certified Yoga of Sound instructor, educating audiences around the world about how rhythm and music influence our well-being.
Last fall, Iwanek (CFA’15) launched Breath, Rhythm & Music for Your Wellbeing, a workshop for members of the BU community. The workshop, sponsored by Student Wellbeing, the College of Fine Arts, the Arts Initiative, the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, and the BU Center for the Study of Asia, held most Tuesdays at the Thurman Center, soon proved a hit. The program recently announced new workshops for the spring semester.
Sign up for a workshop!
Join CFA professor Dr. Igor Iwanek and live musicians in learning the practice of Rhythmic Breath Control (RBC). Improve cognitive performance and self-management in stressful situations with RBC. Learn to recreate the profound relaxation of deep sleep, on demand. Understand the power of breath to overcome overwhelming thoughts, stabilize the mind and energize the body.