How I Make a Full-Time Blogging Income With Brain Yoga

Flex your creative muse muscle

Christopher Kokoski
The Bald Writer

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A cartoon brain doing yoga — How I Make a Full-Time Blogging Income With Brain Yoga
Image by the Author using DALL-E and Canva

Full-body yoga–We had such high hopes, didn’t we?

There I was, a clumsy, uncoordinated blogger, attempting to channel my inner yogi only to end up in a pretzel-like disaster that even my cat couldn’t bear to watch.

After that fiasco, I discovered something far more suited to my skills and lifestyle: Brain Yoga.

This is what it is and how it helps me make a full-time blogging income.

What Is Brain Yoga and How It Changed My Life

Brain Yoga refers to a series of mental warm-up exercises designed to ignite your creativity and get your mind ready for writing or any other creative endeavor.

Let me share with you how Brain Yoga transformed my blogging career:

  • I started by imagining myself in odd settings, like floating on a cloud made of marshmallows or climbing a mountain of books (no psychedelics involved, surprisingly)
  • Next, I played with contrasting and unexpected word combinations, such as “aquatic fireflies” or “whispering thunder”
  • Finally, I visualized far-fetched scenarios, like riding a giant snail through a forest of candy canes

These exercises helped me think outside the box, allowing me to come up with fresh, engaging content that resonated with my readers.

Integrating Brain Yoga Into My Daily Routine

Incorporating Brain Yoga into my daily routine was easier than I thought.

Here’s how I do it:

  1. Set aside 10–15 minutes before my writing sessions for Brain Yoga.
  2. Select a cozy, tranquil area where interruptions won’t bother you.
  3. Begin with deep breathing exercises to relax and focus.
  4. Experiment with different warm-up exercises, such as the ones mentioned earlier, or come up with your own.
  5. End the session with a few minutes of visualization, picturing my goals and the success I want to achieve.

How Brain Yoga Boosted My Blogging Income

Since I began practicing Brain Yoga, I’ve experienced significant improvements in my blogging income.

Here’s how:

  • Increased creativity. My content became more original and engaging, attracting a larger audience and boosting my ad revenue on my self-hosted websites. The steps are: 1) Start a website, 2) Build traffic, and 3) Join a display ad network like Google Adsense and/or Ezoic.
  • Improved productivity. The mental warm-up helped me focus and write faster, enabling me to publish more frequently and grow my blog.
  • Better time management. By dedicating specific time to Brain Yoga and writing, I became more disciplined and efficient, which contributed to my success.

Brain Yoga Exercises You Can Try Today

Ready to dive into the world of Brain Yoga?

Here are three delightfully quirky exercises to get your neurons firing and your imagination soaring. Embrace the joy and don’t hesitate to indulge in some lighthearted fun with these exercises.

Downward Doggy Style

No, this isn’t some strange hybrid of yoga and dog training.

Nor is it anything sexual.

Instead, this exercise involves imagining your thoughts as playful puppies, each one eager to show you a new trick or share a fascinating story. Spend a few minutes “playing” with these ideas, tossing them around, and letting them take you on unexpected adventures.

You’ll be amazed at the creative connections you’ll make by embracing your inner canine curiosity

Set a timer for 5–10 minutes to allow yourself uninterrupted time for this exercise.

Practical tips:

  • Visualize your thoughts as playful puppies, each representing a different idea or concept.
  • Encourage the puppies to interact with each other, creating connections between seemingly unrelated ideas.
  • Once the timer goes off, jot down any interesting connections or ideas you’ve discovered during the exercise.

The Flamingo Flamenco

It’s time to dance your way to creativity with The Flamingo Flamenco.

Picture yourself as a graceful flamingo performing an elegant flamenco dance, each step representing a new idea or perspective. As you dance, allow your mind to explore different rhythms and patterns, weaving them into a rich tapestry of creative thought.

Who knew flamingos could be such a source of inspiration?

Practical tips:

  • Select a silent space where you will have complete privacy.
  • Shut your eyes and picture yourself as a flamingo performing a flamenco dance, with each step representing a new idea.
  • Allow your mind to explore different rhythms and patterns as you “dance” through your thoughts.
  • After 5–10 minutes, open your eyes and write down any intriguing ideas or insights you gained during the exercise.

Galactic Smoothie Mix

Whip up a cosmic concoction of creativity with the Galactic Smoothie Mix exercise.

In this mental workout, imagine you’re blending together various elements from across the universe — a sprinkle of stardust, a scoop of moon rocks, and a dollop of Martian ice cream.

As you mix these otherworldly ingredients, watch as they combine to form a deliciously unique blend of ideas and insights.

Sip on your celestial smoothie and savor the taste of limitless imagination.

Practical tips:

  • Gather a list of random, unrelated elements (e.g., objects, places, or emotions) that you’d like to include in your “smoothie.”
  • Spend a few minutes mentally blending these ingredients into a cosmic concoction, observing how they interact and combine.
  • As you sip on your imaginative smoothie, take note of any unique combinations or ideas that spark your creativity.
  • Use your newfound insights to inspire your writing or brainstorm new blog post topics.

The What-If Whirlwind

Unleash a tornado of creativity with The What-If Whirlwind exercise.

This exercise encourages you to ask a series of “What If?” questions to generate bizarre and amusing scenarios in your brain. The goal is to stretch your imagination and open your mind to new possibilities.

Practical tips:

  • Start with a simple “What If?” question, such as “What if cats could talk?”
  • Build on your initial question by adding more layers, like “What if cats could talk and they were secretly plotting world domination?”
  • Don’t be afraid to get weird and wacky — the more outlandish, the better.
  • Jot down your favorite scenarios and use them as inspiration for future blog posts or stories.

Reality Remix

Get ready to mash up your reality with the Reality Remix exercise.

This technique involves taking ordinary, everyday situations and giving them a fantastical twist.

Practical tips:

  • Choose a mundane task or scenario, like making a cup of coffee or walking to the store.
  • Add a touch of magic or fantasy, such as discovering a hidden portal to another world in your coffee cup or encountering a talking squirrel on your walk.
  • Play around with different combinations, and let your imagination run wild.
  • Use these remixed realities as a creative springboard for your writing.

Mindful Mad Libs

Combine the power of mindfulness with the hilarity of Mad Libs for this entertaining Brain Yoga exercise.

Mindful Mad Libs help you practice being present and aware while also injecting humor and creativity into your thought process.

Here’s how you can get started:

  • Begin by taking a few deep breaths and focusing on the present moment.
  • Select a familiar story or scenario and identify key elements that can be replaced with random, unrelated words or phrases.
  • Fill in the blanks with your chosen words, creating a nonsensical and amusing new narrative.
  • Reflect on the emotions and reactions elicited by your Mindful Mad Libs, and use these feelings as inspiration for your writing.

Final Thoughts

Who would’ve thought that a simple mental exercise could have such a profound impact on my blogging career?

If you’re struggling to find your creative groove, give Brain Yoga a try. You might just find yourself writing your way to success.

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Christopher Kokoski
The Bald Writer

Endlessly curious| proud word nerd| Don’t miss my next article — sign up to my Medium email list: https://bit.ly/3yy18Bc