Yoga and Meditation: My Secret Weapon for Creative Flow
Rediscover your potential and joy in life and work with these simple techniques
Like many of you, I’ve always been searching for that “edge” — the thing that unlocks my creative potential and helps me think more clearly. For me, that journey led to an unexpected place: a yoga mat.
It wasn’t always this way. As a child, writing felt effortless, intuitive. But as life became more demanding, I realized I needed a consistent routine to stay creative and focused.
My journey took me to India, not once, but several times. I witnessed stark contrasts — poverty in Varanasi, wealth in New Delhi. I swam in the icy headwaters of the Ganges and completed a 200-hour yoga course in Rishikesh. All of this ultimately helped me realize what yoga (and meditation as an integral part of it) is about, how much it is connected to creation and how essential it is to my creative life.
My Daily Ritual
Even before my travels, I experimented with yoga and meditation. But India solidified my commitment. My routine was like this (Of course, it was an ideal state that is not always achievable in everyday life, but I practice this routine with minor variations to this day):
5:15 AM: Wake up, make tea.
5:30 AM — 6:15 AM: Yoga and mental exercises.
6:15 AM — 9:00 AM: Writing.
9:00 AM — 9:30 AM: Breakfast.
9:30 AM till lunch: More Writing.
Afternoon: Reading, other tasks.
5:00 PM: Evening yoga session.
Post-Dinner: More Writing or Reading.
The Power of Emptying the Mind
For me, the goal of yoga and meditation has always been to empty the mind, detach from the surrounding world and try to return to intuitive thinking I experienced as a child.
In addition, both physical and mental exercises helped me a lot in concentration. When a person concentrates on only one thing, one problem, one task, he can get much deeper into the problem than when he alternately solves many tasks. He sees things differently, finds connectionswhere he normally doesn’t see them (this was crucial for finishing my novel), reaches higher levels of intelligence, literally awakens and discovers a better version of himself. With deep concentration, he discovers things he didn’t even know he was capable of.
Yoga and meditation also helped me focus more on reading, and suddenly I slept better — I literally had “better” dreams that helped me solve problems and challenges from waking life. Once one discovers these benefits, it is difficult to give them up.
Of course, there are days when it doesn’t work. My mind races, meditation feels impossible, and my body resists exercise. That’s when I turn to my secret weapon: a short nap. Sleep clears the mental clutter and allows me to approach my work with a fresh perspective.
Even in yoga, there is a special exercise that moves between waking and dreaming, the so-called yoga nidra (literally yoga sleep). However, its purpose is not (unlike a full-fledged nap) to fall asleep, but to deeply relax the body and mind while you are conscious. This exercise can help you especially during stressful times.
Rediscover Your Potential
So, if you feel tired or life and work are falling and you can’t see a way out, try yoga and meditation. Start with shorter periods of time, then deepen and intensify your practice. Not to become a Zen Buddhist (if that’s not your primary goal), but above all to rediscover your potential and joy in life and work.
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