Understanding Creative Energy Through the Lens of Yoga: Part II, Yoga, Meditation & Pranayama
In Part I of this two-part series, I talked about viewing creative energy through a yogic lense. In yoga, energy is also known as prana or life force. We are born with a certain amount of prana, and we make choices each day that increase or decrease our prana. Eating healthy food, good friends, getting exercise, a good night’s rest, and meditation increase prana. Negative habitual thoughts, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise and sleep decrease prana.
When we have enough prana, we have an easier time maintaining our creative practice, physical health, and relationships. We also get off the high/low energy rollercoaster and live with better equilibrium. The tradition of yoga offers three practices that improve the flow of prana: yoga (asana or movements), meditation, and pranayama (breath work).
Yoga
Many creatives find that a regular yoga practice helps physically counter hours spent in repetitive motions, like painting, writing, dancing etc. Yoga is a great brain (and back) break when you’ve been at a screen all day. Yoga also helps calm busy minds, reducing stress and hypertension. In my own experience, I’ve found a strong link between yoga flow and creative flow. I’ve gotten some of my best ideas, out of the blue, after yoga. I like to think of it as meditation with movement.
Get started: Check out free classes on YouTube. Join a studio or find a teacher who can help you design a practice that works for you. See if your local gym or community center offers yoga. If you don’t like a traditional flow class (also called Vinyasa), look for beginner yoga, gentle yoga, Yin, restorative, yoga Nidra, aerial, or chair yoga. Yeah, there’s goat yoga too if you’re a fan of barnyard animals!
Meditation
When we meditate we learn to observe our thoughts from a distance. If we over identify with negative thoughts, they can trigger painful emotions, which cause stressful physical sensations and drain our prana. With practice, when life events trigger a series of negative thoughts, instead of just nodding along, we can step back and get curious. “Hmm. Is that really true?”
Get started: Just as there are many kinds of yoga, there are many kinds of meditation. Mindfulness meditation is an accessible practice. You can sit in silence or listen to quiet music or nature sounds for any length of time. Insight Timer and Calm apps offer free, guided meditations. However, anything done with mindful awareness can become a meditation if you’re purposeful about it.
Take a slow walk in silence and observe the trees, the birds, the lake, your feet on the ground. Drink a hot cup of decaf tea. When driving, feel the steering wheel under your hands. Recognize, “I’m here, right now.” Throughout the day, pay attention to your breath. When you inhale, think, “I am inhaling;” When you exhale, think, “I am exhaling.” You can also lie down and practice Yoga nidra, something I do in the afternoons most working days.
Pranayama
In sanskrit, prana can also be translated as breath and ayama means control. Breath control. Pranayama helps focus the mind and can be practiced on its own or incorporated into a meditation or yoga session.
Get started: Again, lots of ways to practice here, depending on what works for your body and your goals. I admit that although I often teach pranayama in my classes, I only use a few pranayamas at home because breath restriction increases my anxiety, which is not in line with my goals. But that’s me at this point in time.
One of my favorite practices is nadi shodana, or alternate nostril breathing, which balances prana and helps calm body and mind. Other methods, like ujayi (victorious breath) or bhastrika (bellow’s breath) are more stimulating. They’re intended to energize the body and mind and are helpful to, say, prepare for a big presentation when you want to be at your sharpest and most energetic. For more exploration of pranayamas, check out this link.
Now that I’ve outlined the basics of each practice, I want to note that these are only suggestions to help creatives — or anyone really — build resilience and awareness and increase and maintain their energy. Yoga, meditation, and pranayama can be helpful, and many variations of each tool are available to try. However, the journey is yours, so find what works for you!
Also, if you’ve experienced trauma and find any practice triggering or have physical limitations or pain when you practice, do not force yourself to continue. Please ask for additional support from a teacher or therapist.
Lastly, if you’d like guidance in crafting a daily practice or someone to teach you any of the techniques mentioned above, don’t hesitate to reach out. I would love to support you and your goals. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel to find out about free, pre-recorded classes I’ll be offering in the coming weeks.
Namaste and happy creating!
