I have been practicing yoga for nearly 15 years, and though life sometimes leads me away from a regular practice, I always seem to find my way back to the mat. Why? On a physical level, yoga makes me feel healthier. On a spiritual level, I am more at peace with the world. And on a creative level, yoga just helps bring things forth. That’s what creativity is all about, right? Making something out of nothing, or altering what was there before. I’m not alone in believing this – Yoga Journal says that yoga has the power to connect us to inspiration through cultivating calm and balance. Here are 4 other ways yoga can boost your creativity.

1. Get a little out of your mind 

I don’t know about you, but I’m guilty of constantly evaluating my creative attempts. I have to make an effort to turn off my inner editor and just let the piece flow, unhindered and flawed. Editing comes later – the first hurdle is to get whatever I’ve been inspired to create out into the light of day, as Sarah Herrington writes. When we practice yoga, we practice letting go of this editor, even for only an hour. The whole point of yoga is to let go of the chatter and concentrate on breath and movement.  It doesn’t matter what the pose looks like... what matters is to find the stillness in each moment. It’s the same with creating something – it doesn’t matter what it looks like, what matters is that we allow it out.

2. Take chances 

It’s not easy to create. It’s much easier to be the critic, the judge. And the problem is that we all have our own opinions and our own eyes and ears – we all have different tastes! It can be easy to think, why even put this out there? For every compliment, there might be several people who think it’s silly, stupid, weird, etc. But as Robert Redford once said, "People don’t remember who the critics were." So that’s the revenge of the creator, I suppose. Think you can’t do a headstand? Just try. It’s OK to fall down; that’s completely normal. It’s OK if your hands don’t touch the ground in a Standing Forward Bend. What matters is to keep reaching.

3. Be disciplined enough to move through discomfort 

Sometimes, what we bring forth isn’t all that pretty. Sometimes it’s not pleasant or beautiful. But it needs to be brought out. As with every single pursuit and growth spurt in life, there is going to be some discomfort. But tight hamstrings eventually lengthen, pushing heels to the floor in Downward Dog. And, it gets easier to bring forth the good stuff, with practice. Yoga teaches us that discomfort is part of practice, and practice is necessary to any endeavor. Would you run a marathon without training? Probably not. Writing a book or a song or painting a portrait requires the same amount of preparation. And if we fall out of rhythm? We can be like the Eco Yogini and keep trying. 

4. And move on from failure 

Sometimes, things don’t turn out like we thought they would. However we envisioned the project, it just may not end up like we planned for it to, says Heather Jeany. That happens, and it’s OK. The trick is to get it to that point, otherwise you’ll never know. And then, to try again. In yoga, sometimes we fall. Sometimes we miss class. Sometimes we just can't “get it,” for whatever reason. These moments don’t matter much unless we let them. Remember the big picture – keep moving, practicing and creating, and the snags along the way become smaller and smaller.

Photo: lululemon athletica, Creative Commons 2.0.