The artist speaks of his/her muse when talking about inspiration. I find inspiration (along with respiration and some perspiration) on my yoga mat (and sometimes in the shower to be perfectly honest). It's the place where my brain, body, and breath slow down and the chatter is reduced to a bare minimum. It's in this quiet space that my creativity comes to life.
Sometimes I actually put a pen and notebook next to my mat to capture inspirational thoughts/insights/ideas. Sometimes I resist interrupting my yoga practice by putting pen to paper to capture my a-has and I wait until after Savasana to scribble furiously into my little notebook (or, what I like to call, my idea catcher). Still, the quiet never fails to clue me in -- to my innermost feelings, to the things or experiences that I'm resisting, to the messages my body is giving me, to my creativity.
If you're in need of a little creative inspiration, here are some fun jump-starters:
- 10 Steps to Creating Your Own Yoga Mat Bag -- if you've got rain forecasted like we do in NY, it might be the perfect time to hunker down with some craft materials and create something useful and beautiful -- like your very own yoga mat bag.
- Finding Inspiration in the Moment -- I'm a big fan of being in the moment and breathing deep, but sometimes the very best moments are the ones that take your breath away. Author Priscilla Warner (who penned the most recent addition to the yoga memoir world with her book Learning to Breathe: My Yearlong Quest to Bring Calm to My Life) offers up some lovely minute long videos sure to inspire. Run your cursor over the pictures and the video player will magically appear.
Here's to finding your peace and inspiration both on the mat and off!
Namaste!
