Friday, March 19, 2010

The Yoga of Writing

The word yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India where yoga originated. Now after practicing it for few years, I do agree that the union is occurring between the mind, body and spirit. Indeed, through yoga I learned that with mental and spiritual well being, it would be easier to get motivated, get moving and stretch the limits in every aspect of our life.

One of the things I would like to relate to yoga is writing. The more I explore what writing means to me, the more I'm convinced that there are a number of important similarities between the lesson learned in the two endeavors which can transform life into one of joy, love and purpose.

Keep your balance. Yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of constant poses though the approach varies depending on the tradition you may follow. In writing, it means staying objective, open-minded and balanced in your perspectives and in your expression.

Make it a regular practice. The amazing thing about yoga is that your practice is always evolving and changing, so it never gets boring. Although the poses themselves don't change, your relationship to them will. When I seriously started writing a year ago, I encountered difficulties to make it flow. However, things would develop over times when you keep learning and practicing.

Keep breathing and smile. The practice of yoga depends heavily on careful and controlled breathing. Always have a smile in your heart is also a way to lift the burden out of your mind. When I write, it's very important to settle the mind and spirit in order to have clear and focus thoughts.

Encourage the noncompetitive spirit. One of the most difficult, but ultimately most liberating things about yoga is letting go of the ego and accepting that no one is better than anyone else. Everyone is just doing their best on any given day. To become a good writer, you need to develop a sense of humility though being humble is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve.

Health benefits. Practicing yoga helps you maintain physical and mental health. Physical benefits include flexibility, strength, muscle tone, pain prevention and better breathing. Concentrating so intently on what your body is doing has the effect of bringing a calmness to the mind, stress reduction and body awareness. For me, writing is not jut putting my thoughts on paper. It's a healing act that takes control of my emotion.

The experience of yoga and then writing really helps me to know myself better and to improve my abilities in a way than I would ever have imagined. Like yoga, writing is also therapeutic. It brings a new insights into myself and my relationships. It is completely relax and honest.