“I am a passionate seeker after truth which is but another name for God.”
− Gandhi

Notes from the Southwest: From Sticky Mat to Word Processor

As a writer, I’ve encountered every frustration that comes with the craft—from writer’s block and persistent distractions to lack of discipline and focus. Through yoga, I’ve developed a new relationship to writing. I’ve discovered that classic yogic techniques, when applied wholeheartedly and regularly to my writing practice, help me to increase the flow of creative energy, relax under deadlines, manage anxiety, give volume to my voice, persevere when I would rather quit, and experience deeper and lasting peace because I am excelling at what I love.

I began yoga out of desperation, as a way to remove the angst and unbalance from my career as a corporate copywriter. I needed something that would help me turn off the sensory overload, enhance my concentration, relax my body, and achieve an overall sense of well being. My first year practicing yoga I was in no way a snapshot of serenity: I was clumsy and awkward and invariably compared myself to everyone in the room, an undertaking fraught with injuries. In addition, I lacked coordination and often fell out of balance postures, landing on my bottom, equally embarrassed and discouraged that I might never achieve the touted yogic benefits of strength, flexibility, uncanny concentration, and a compassionate heart. But I stuck with it because somehow it all felt good.

At some indeterminate point my life began to change. I found I could sit for longer periods of time before my feet fell asleep. I became more attuned to other people’s feelings, relationships that required nurturing, and the habitual need to sabotage my own success. I not only became increasingly aware of my lack of boundaries and the way in which I avoided confrontation, but I also for the first time began to do something constructive about it. Eventually, instead of experiencing relationships as stressful, I viewed them as opportunities to learn something about myself which might otherwise remain hidden.

But it didn’t stop there: the benefits of yoga also helped me in my work as a professional writer. One night after yoga class, I went home and sat in front of the computer. It was only my word processor and me. Normally, it would have taken hours to squeeze out one worthy page. But that night when I started to write, the words flowed effortlessly. My yoga session continued from the mat to the page. All I had to do was jump into the stillness.

Using Yoga to Tap Into the Writing Flow

For the past decade, I’ve continued to apply yogic principles to my writing, and I now write with much greater ease and satisfaction. I have learned how to tap into a state of undistracted, unrestricted flow. I often ride this wave of heightened creative output until I meet “the edge” (that point at which fidgeting, headaches, and tension tell me that I’ve hit a creative wall). Then when I become uncomfortable, I back off or take a break to reintegrate my body, mind and spirit. I borrow from the yoga tradition techniques that anyone can do, like conscious breathing exercises, chanting, simple stretches and meditation to focus my mind and relax my body. This time out for reintegration brings about a more optimal condition of balance and health. Hence, this yoga of writing, as I see it, helps writers not only remember that they have a body, but also how to care for the body and clear the mind so that the spirit has a happy place in which to dwell and write.

Since incorporating these and other yogic practices, I often hit the mark on first drafts of copy, I produce quality work in a fraction of the time it used to take, writing is more rewarding, and my client relationships have strengthened. Now I am committed to sharing what I have learned so that other writers may discover the flow of uninterrupted writing and the benefits of personal reintegration.

Welcome to The Yoga of Writing.