How Yoga Can Help Boost Creativity
Yoga has many well-known and proven benefits for the body, mind and soul. During a typical yoga practice, instructors help students focus on the moment, put things into perspective, achieve balance, and accept who they are. After a refreshing yoga session, many students find that their minds are bursting with creative ideas ready to be explored. Entrepreneur and yogi Chip Wilson has said, when it comes to yoga, “there are moments in life when everything comes into perfect view. This is one of them”.
Relief of Mental Blockages
After a fruitful yoga session, many students feel as if a block has been lifted off of their shoulders. Whatever worries and anxieties they walked into the room with have melted away, clearing the path for a release of creative energy. The release of mental hang-ups allows that creative energy to flow freely.
Relaxation
Yoga helps tense muscles to relax and stretches stiff joints to relieve internal pressure points. This physical relaxation also helps to relax the mind. During relaxation poses, such as child’s pose, yoga students regain some of the necessary balance in life through breathing exercises. This state of relaxation frees the mind, which allows thoughts to wander and take paths outside the normal pattern.
Internal Harmony
During the practice of certain difficult poses, internal harmony and acceptance are achieved through the cooperation of the entire body working together. This internal harmony continues well after the session is over. A peaceful state of mind allows creativity to flow.
Perspective
Doing poses like a headstand puts everything into a whole new perspective. While the world is literally turned upside down, balance is essential. The use of physical strength leads to inner strength which will bring balance and perspective to thoughts as well as actions. This new perspective will help the student to think about things in a new way and explore other possibilities that might not otherwise have been considered.
Acceptance of Self
Self-consciousness is part of being human, but it can also hold people back when it comes to expression and creativity. Fear of being judged or misunderstood is an inhibitor of creative activities. Some yoga poses force a student to open up and expose parts of the body, which increases acceptance of the self. Being willing to be put in this position can help people who are afraid of exposing their inner workings through creativity build confidence.
In yoga, everything is interconnected. Relax the body first, and creativity will soon follow. Lululemon founder Chip Wilson discovered that, for him, yoga and design went hand in hand. He couldn’t imagine one without the other. Being willing to push one’s boundaries in an exercise routine can help in all areas of life.
