Is Yoga the Secret to Enhancing Your Writing?
Over the past year, I’ve begun to notice how the power of yoga and meditation has added an incredible ease and depth to my own writing. I was so moved and emboldened by this correlation that I created the Writers’ Workshop Retreat in Bali to optimize this effect for other writers. What I’ve found is that this effect is far from rare: writers all around the world have discovered their writing improves with the practice.
The Science Behind It
Remarkably, this phenomenon is well-documented in scientific journals, where the brainwaves of lifelong meditators are recorded and analyzed. The findings show vastly increased activity in gamma brain waves, which activate when we make problem-solving connections between multiple parts of the brain. In normal people, these brain waves only spike in activity for a few seconds at a time–literally during “ah-ha!” moments.
For lifelong meditators, they are CONSTANTLY activated, to a degree of twenty-five times greater amplitude than non-meditators, during everyday life moments. During active meditation sessions, It’s no wonder this state of constant “ah-ha!” awareness would increase our creative powers as a writer.
One Writer’s Story
I recently had the chance to speak with David Holzer, a fellow yogi who has realized the power this practice has over his own writing. He has since been helping other writers experience it through his DailyOM course, “Secret Writing Mantra.”
“Yoga completely transformed my writing,” he says. “It enables me to tap into inspiration every time, without having to wait for my muse to show up. I’m now fearless about going deeper into my writing, and able to direct my focus. I’ve become more disciplined. I use my breath to write in a healthier way. And there are plenty of other benefits.”
A Yoga Course For Writers
David’s approach is built on a simple sequence that can be done by yogis of all abilities and prepares your body, mind and spirit to write. His course is grounded in the science of yoga, and it emphasizes the power of mindfulness to help writers find their all-important voice and overcome any fears they might have about expressing themselves.
As you might expect, mantra is especially important. “For me,” David says, “finding my own writing mantra was key to understanding myself as a writer and realizing the direction in which I wanted to go with my writing.”
It’s exciting for me, as a writer, to see the ways that other yoga teachers are applying the creative power of the practice to writing—to expand minds, open hearts, and let the stories flow.
Try it Yourself
You can find David’s “Secret Writing Mantra” course here. I can’t wait to try it out and start applying it to my own writing. Let me know if you do the same!
And if you find that yoga and meditation also enhance your writing, there’s still time to sign up for my Writers’ Workshop Retreat coming up in a few weeks. Contact me at megan@yogatrotter.com