Yoga and Writing

About a year ago, I discovered the wonder that is yoga.  I always heard others talk about the benefits of it and how much better it made them feel, but never really took much stock in their words.  It wasn't until I'd read one of many tweets from one of my favorite singer/songwriters - Jason Mraz - that I decided to try it (just because he inspires me that much ;p).  He always talked about how peaceful it made him feel and that it was so much more beneficial than just physically toning and stretching your body.  It also opens your mind, calms your senses and allows you to see the world through a clearer mind.

After about a week of practicing yoga, I was amazed at how right he was.  I felt better.  My muscles didn't ache from sitting all day at work, and my mind functioned better.  This insight gave me a new perspective on my writing.  It taught me that, through a clear mind and a gradual growth, I could use the same mindset of yoga toward my writing.  I was able to slow down, not worry so much about how it was coming across, and just write because it is what I love to do.  I no longer cared about whether or not it would be accepted by others, or if it would become a published work.  I only wrote from the heart - a story that I fell in love with and characters who became part of me.  Nothing else mattered.  I slowly began to let go and allow my mind to wander to places it had not been able to go previously.  What I discovered was magical.  I found that there was so much more to explore within my own thoughts than I ever thought possible.

Incredible how one seemingly small change in your daily routine, such as adding thirty minutes of yoga, can change your whole perspective.  So, my yoga routine became a tool, not only for physical benefits, but also cognitive.  As most people who practice yoga will tell you, it clears your mind from your daily worries - at least while you are in the moment and the brief break can do wonders.  The purpose of yoga is to think about nothing, focusing only on deep breathing and stretching your muscles.

This practice is beneficial for everyone in their own life, for their own purposes.  For me, it was an awakening to a new way of viewing how I go about writing.  

I am an over-thinker,  always have been.  So when I decided to write a novel a few years ago, I continually blocked my own creativity (and sometimes still do) out of fear of whether or not I was writing a story that people would connect to, like so many authors did for me.  Because, to me, that's what really matters - that people can find an escape in the story, or a connection with a character, which allows them to feel a passion toward the story and appreciate it for what it's worth.  

When I start to fret over these tedious things in my writing, or in my daily life in general, yoga is one of the few outlets that really brings me back to my focal point - which is to write what I love and to write what I believe in.  At the end of it all, that's what counts.  If you really and truly believe in what you do and have a passion for it, then there will be others who believe in it too.  

Alysia