As a dance and yoga teacher I celebrate movement as a way to unleash creativity and offer
us clear glimpses of ourselves. It may well be my favorite thing about it. While I honor the many physical benefits of yoga and am meticulous about alignment, I find the poses to be a means to an end. The end (of course, there is really no end) is connection to the self and expression of the self.
The majority of my work as a yoga instructor is with individual clients, so I have the pleasure of really talking with students about their struggles, their dreams and what makes them light up in life. One day I was working with a client who is an artist. She was lamenting her lack of time and energy for her own creative work amidst life, family and her commissioned artwork. I had an idea and asked her to bring her sketchbook to our next session.
The next time she came in I took her through some sun salutations and then told her to grab her sketch book, sit down and draw the sun salutation. I wanted her to feel comfortable and thought it might be awkward if I just sat and watched so I joined in, rendering my own drawing. I found I really enjoyed the exercise. And our drawings were so different (in addition to the obvious gap in skill level). She drew hands reaching up to a glorious sun. I drew representations of each pose.
We spent the hour alternating doing poses and drawing. It was a rewarding session and ignited my fire to pair movement with another creative outlet. Because I am an avid journal keeper, I especially liked the idea of writing. It felt such a natural pairing. There can be moments of epiphany in yoga AND in writing. Combining them seemed ... well, destined.
At the time I was teaching a group class and decided to turn it into a Yoga and Journaling Class. We would begin with a seated meditation and then they’d grab their journals and free write for several minutes. I would sometimes introduce a theme or writing prompt and give them the option to use it. Then we’d move through our yoga practice and end with another round of writing before Savasana (relaxation).
I was nervous that the students might resist this change but they were remarkably open. Some expressed doubt about their ability to write or be creative but these doubts seemed to disappear as they wrote, all of them game and committed. It was really a joy to witness.
If you are drawn to yoga and/or journaling you may want to explore putting them together. You can do this in several ways:
Begin by sitting quietly and breathing deeply for several minutes. Then grab your journal and begin to write non-stop, just letting the words lead you for two pages or so. From there move into your asana practice (your poses). Do the writing again at the end of your practice.
Give your practice and your writing a theme. For example resistance or triumph or surrender, all of which can come up as we practice yoga.
Play with writing about the specific poses you are doing. For example, write the story of the Warrior or the Tree.
You can even bring your journal to a yoga class and spend a few minutes writing before and after class.
There is no “right way” to combine yoga and journaling. In fact, the possibilities are endless. The most important benefit of this work, in my experience, is what it teaches you about yourself. Your light is bright! Let it shine through your words and your poses. And be sure to tell me how it goes!
Bio:
Luisa Tanno is an inspiration junkie! She teaches yoga specializing in private sessions and making it about you. She teaches dance classes, focusing on expression and joy. She writes in various forms: songs, essays, blog posts & the occasional article. She hosts creative journaling workshops to inspire you to inspire yourself.
All of the above can be found on her website: www.luisatanno.com
Mari's note: I'm currently taking Luisa's creative journaling workshop and Luisa is WriteON!: I'm appreciating how self-inspirational I am. Thank you Luisa!
Do you find yourself dwelling on missed opportunities? Or perhaps you're having trouble making sense of it all? Please download our free ebook, CreateWriteNow's Expert Guide to Therapeutic Journaling, shows you journaling can provide the tools you need to achieve the happiness we all deserve.
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