Not quite writer’s block

As I sit here attempting to write a post, a captivating topic has not yet emerged. I should say that twenty-five other ideas have appeared instead, all vying for my attention.

Interestingly, when I set out my mat to practice yoga, I don’t experience the equivalent of writer’s block at all. Of the reputed 80,000 poses I might choose among, and the many yoga practices I could do, I just seem to know.

A general plan appears on the screen of my mind and the specifics of it seamlessly roll out, one after another.

I’m not complaining about the temporary lack of something to write about. I spent the third week in January in Bellingen doing a writing in a course called ‘Life Stories’. Every morning we participants would write a story from our life and every afternoon, we would write another one. By the week’s end, I had collected ten stories 

Rather than feeling written-out, I was stimulated by the course. I came home to write more and edit the life stories I had already composed.

Two passions

Writing is a passion in my life, different from, but equal to, yoga teaching and practice. I’ve been considering the idea of putting on a couple of workshops that would combine these two. At this stage, I’m not sure how exactly, but I know they can go together. They have done so in many of my Yoga with Eve Grzybowski posts. For instance, here’s a lovely post on writing from earlier this year.

The beauty of personal writing is that it can function to enhance our experience of living. To be able to write, we have to pay attention. The more this is cultivated, the more our ability to be present grows. Over time, if we keep writing authentically from our life experience, we see patterns emerge. These are the important threads that give meaning and purpose to our lives.

When I was writing a memoir about me as a writer in my course, I remembered a poem I composed as an eight year old. It pointed to my early start as a writer, and to a later unhappy period when I stopped writing for years. It made me think that, if I’d kept writing, perhaps the creative act of writing might have helped me find more inner peace.

Christina Jakubowski speaks of the value of integrating writing with our yoga practice in a Yoga International article:

As yoga practitioners, the phases we go through and the themes that arise during our asana and meditation practices often remain abstract and can quickly become forgotten. By taking time to write down some of our observations on our own physical and spiritual development, we can gain greater self-knowledge and clarity.

I wonder if there is some interest out there for a ‘The Yogi as Writer’ workshop. If so, do let me know, and I’m happy to organise it.