I LOVE Yoga. I am literally a yoga nerd. (However, yoga chicks are definitely NOT nerds!) Recently I was thinking... Unlike most of the way I've lived my life, yoga teaches forgiveness. Of yourself. And the ability to tolerate our moments of failure. Although I am extremely good at yoga, I have realized that I NEVER expect to fail. So I rarely do. And when I do, I am frustrated. But it is fleeting. It doesn't get me down for the next five hours or days, like writer's block might do. I wrote this in my journal one night after yoga:
Friday: Went to yoga tonight and couldn't do a thing. My balance was off and I had a headache when inverted. My mind could not focus. Oddly, I did not feel at all like I could never do yoga again - or that I had failed, or anything other than I had a bad night. I wasn't worried that I wouldn't achieve my peak the next time or anything negative.This made me realize that most of the time in real life, if I have a bad unproductive spell, I'm tempted to believe that I suck. And that I will never finish anything. I wonder why it's so easy not to do this when it comes to yoga?
In addition, I've noticed that in order to achieve the more complicated poses or twists and inversions, you must actually relax into the pose. You contort, and then relax and accept the pose. This made me think about life and how if I just relaxed into my crazy days, that I might find that they suit me better - I am not fighting against myself so much. And I am not judging myself, but allowing for growth and length by sinking in... The same goes for writing. If I can simply relax into a writing routine, forgiving myself for those days and weeks when nothing seems to come out, and believing that I literally can NOT fail, then I am sure to weave a glorious tale. And so will you! (If you follow my yogi-inspired advice :-)
Namaste
13 comments:
I'm speechless. Can you really do that?? The pose, I mean . . . .
Great advice--both for life and for writing.
"Relax into the pose"
Namaste--sf
"Relax into the prose"
I just thought of that--corny, I know . . .
Okay - that is SO cute that I might have to change the title! Yep - I'm changing it!
Okay, that is one crazy photo!
How in the world do you type like that!?!?
- Jay
Okay, I've tried that pose, and only managed it for ONE micro second. But I love yoga, too. And my yoga teacher wants to do a writing/yoga workshop with me! Any ideas??? Have you ever done such a thing?
And hey, do you know yogini and fab writer, Liz Garton Scanlon? I interviewed her here, as part of our co-blogging week on the physicality of writing.
Jay, I simply lift my hands one at a time, and type of course :-)
Sara, I love that you love yoga! Why didn't we figure this out in LA?! I was working on shooting my legs out to the side from that pose today. Talk about a few seconds! yowza! I'm gonna get it though :-)
A yoga/writing workshop sounds great! I'll think on that. I have another writing friend that teaches yoga and talks a lot about the two. Oh! And I can't wait to read your interview.
Let's keep in touch!
Katie
Dangabadang. That is crazy. I couldn't even do that with a spotter on the floor, much less in the middle of my kitchen table! Tell Kate that her photography skills are excellent. ...and I think you have a point about relaxing into the craziness. When I do finally let myself do that, it is a pretty peaceful experience.
Namaste back at cha.
MIMI
Great advice! Jeannie told me about your blog and I shared it with Mary. She'll love the yoga photo - Mary just started at Guilford College in Greensboro and is very happy there. An elective she's taking this semester is yoga. Take care, Betsy
This was a great blog. I was literally looking at my task list in excel. Under the days edits was
- professional reading
- blogs
- meditate.
Instead of meditating, I went to look at blogs, and ran across your entry on yoga...which is leading me right over the conference room to look out at the coming dawn and...meditate.
Thanks Bets! You go Graeme! Meditating is so hard for me!! YOU'VE inspired ME now :-)
Relax into the prose???? I LOVE this. Why do I have to learn the same things again and again and again, but then someone articulates in just the right way and it's like, ka-ching! Sooo grateful that SLH introduced me to you. Namaste...
Aaww.... Thanks Liz!!!
So nice to meet you via SLH!
Katie
Can I re-post? Re-comment. The brilliance of this blog entry is that it resonates. Right now, today, I'm dealing with completely different issues than I was way back when in August. But 'relaxing into it' is the only way to survive it. Oh the wisdom. Now if I could just get my body to do the same...
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