I spent many years as a journalist so I know firsthand that writing can be tough on the body. We often spend long hours at the computer or hunched over with a notepad and pen, with little thought to how that might affect our posture, or even hurt later. (Too much focus on finishing the task, or the deadline!)
Then when you do feel sore it’s difficult to get back to writing. It can really get in the way, actually.
Hands up writers if you have tight shoulders or neck issues, lower back pain, tight psoas/hip flexors or rounded shoulders? It’s a lot of us, right?
When we feel sore or in pain, we might turn to a masseuse, or the osteopath, for some relief.
But I recommend (also) turning to yoga. It will help those aches and pains. Plus, there are added benefits…
Enhance Creativity
Yoga can help us mine our creative selves by getting rid of stress. I have often had my best creative ideas on holidays, and this is because we are relaxed and open. Yoga is like a mini-holiday.
Yoga also enhances our intuition by connecting mind to body, and enables us to tap into our subconscious/true selves. There lie our best ideas. Writing as self-actualisation is the most satisfying and most authentic.
There’s no underestimating mindfulness and being rooted in the present moment when it comes to creativity. With yoga we learn to focus on the moment and so eliminate fears or regrets, or those endless lists of things to do.
What’s left? Some space to think creatively. Space for ideas to come, without the usual noise in our heads.
Yoga Poses that Promote Creativity
Then there are yoga poses said to enhance creativity. These are poses centred around the ‘creative’ parts of the human body, so hip-opening poses for example. The second chakra, Svadisthana is the creativity and sexual chakra and is located above the public bone and below the navel. Svadisthana means “the dwelling place of the self”.
Inversions like legs up the wall, shoulderstand and headstand are wonderful for getting a new perspective, literally and figuratively.
We can also work on being open by opening through the heart physically, which makes us more open as people and more open to ideas and inspiration.
The flow of yoga can help us get in the flow when we’re writing too.
Plus, there is an opportunity to play and experiment in yoga, and play and experimentation are proven methods of coming up with new ideas.