They are learning how to attend unswervingly, moment by moment, to themselves and their art
Violinists practicing scales and dancers repeating the same movements over decades are not simply warming up or mechanically training their muscles. They are learning how to attend unswervingly, moment by moment, to themselves and their art; learning to come into steady presence, free from the distractions of interest or boredom.
~ Jane Hirshfield, Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry
Source: brainpickings.org