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Zen and The Pen: How to Apply Yoga Principles to Your Writing Practice

“Yoga begins right where I am—not where I was yesterday or where I long to be.” 

–Linda Sparrowe

When training to become a yoga teacher, one of the first lessons I learned was to stress the value of “just showing up on your mat.” It doesn’t matter what physical, mental, or emotional state you are in, as all of these might change day to day, posture to posture, breath to breath. What matters is discipline and accepting where you are in the present moment. 

Take a long breath in and slowly exhale. Reread (or write out) the paragraph above, changing the words “yoga teacher” to “writer,” “on your mat” to “at your desk,” and “posture” to “sentence.” 

Now, come to a seated posture at your desk. Take another deep breath in, counting to four. Exhale the breath, counting backward: four, three, two, one. Now, without judgment, scan your mind for any anxious thoughts of discouragement, insecurity, fear, and inadequacy. Imagine you are writing your negative thoughts on sheets of pure white paper. Fold them gently into paper boats. Picture a long river. Go to the river’s edge, release the boats in the current, and let the negative thoughts go.  

Notice how it feels to be lighter as you quiet your mind. If any unwanted thoughts pop into your mind as you write, acknowledge them and set them afloat. Any worries or concerns can wait until after your time at your desk. Stay in the present moment and just write.

As you write, let go of competition. Remember, you are who you are meant to be in this moment. In yoga, it doesn’t matter what the person next to you is doing. Writing isn’t a race. No one else can write your words as you cannot write another’s.

Let go of all perfection. There is no perfect yoga posture; there is no perfect novel. Notice how it feels to let go of perfection, moving from word to word, sentence to sentence, page to page. Knowing you can always come back to it later. Build on each posture to create a practice. Build on each word to create a world. 

When you come to the end of your writing practice, thank yourself for showing up at your desk. Take a moment to rest, a savasana of gratitude for all you have accomplished. 

Take a long breath in and slowly exhale.

The writer in me honors and sees the writer in you.

Namaste.

Michele Alouf
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Michele Alouf

Michele Alouf is a founding member of the Story Street Writers and a master's degree candidate in creative writing at Harvard Extension School. When she’s not working on her first novel, What Lies in Orange Skies, she can be found in her kitchen trying to cook, read, and balance in tree pose without getting burned. Her short stories are forthcoming or published in Bridge Eight, Drunk Monkeys, the Wordrunner e-Chapbook Fiction Anthology--Salvaged, Grim & Gilded, and Sad Girl Diaries. Michele previously owned a yoga business and wrote for a local magazine. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, John.

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