I’ve learnt to force myself to relax and meditate—even though I hate to when I’m in the rush of a creative project. Consciousness seems to connect its dots in periods of idleness generating powerful new insights.

2. 5 ways to become more
creative: Learnings from
Yoga

4. Yoga and meditation have helped me grow
tremendously as an artist. Here are some things
I’ve learnt from the practice that have enhanced
my creative output:

5. 1. Conserve prana ruthlessly Yoga places great
value on prana, the universal energy that flows in
every life form. Prana is the condition of being
alive, the source of all life processes and the
fountainhead of thoughts, activity, creativity,
vitality, everything. Many Yogic techniques eg,
pranayama and bandhas help increase this vital
energy.

6. Even though I didn’t practice these until recently, I
did learn to stop the outflow of prana early in my
Yogic journey by understanding that prana was a
bit of a zero sum game. The more energy I spent
in unsatisfying activities like empty socializing,
surfing the net, seeing more, doing more etc.

7. the less I would have for my creative task. The
same prana moves both the physical and the
mental universe. Just forcing myself to sit still and
keep the mind vacant vs. rushing around wasting
vital energy was a terrific enabler to creative
output.

8. 2. Develop a strong everyday routine Contrary
to the cliché of the scattered artist, research
shows that creative people have a very disciplined
everyday routine. This is connected to the above
perspective on prana. A routine saves the
energy dispensed in thinking about when to work
and when to play,

9. what to have for lunch and for dinner, and other
daily maintenance activities. More mental space
can thus be directed to the creative endeavor.
Earlier, I used to seek a lot of variety in my
everyday life. Now, I have a very consistent
predictable routine for work, play, food, everything
four or five days a week, allowing myself
experimentation in the rest of the week.

10. 3. Cultivate Curiosity
This could mean going for a once-a-week artist
date to a museum, a theater or an art gallery, all of
which are terrific inspirations. But perhaps there is
even more power in embracing the Yoga ethos
that the very purpose of life is to constantly stretch
one’s

11. boundaries. Every interaction with the world then
becomes a journey of personal exploration and
growth. Some of the strongest characters in THE
SEEKER, for instance, came from deep
conversations on life, death, religion etc. with
strangers I met in my travels.

12. 4. …but remember to relax This was the Buddha’s
advice for a monk striving hard for enlightenment
but not making as much progress as he liked:

13. “Without tarrying and without hurrying, I crossed
the flood of suffering. When I tarried, I sank; when
I hurried, I was whirled around. Only when I
neither tarried nor hurried did I cross the flood.”

14. I’ve learnt to force myself to relax and meditate—
even though I hate to when I’m in the rush of a
creative project. Consciousness seems to connect
its dots in periods of idleness generating powerful
new insights. Of course, too much tarrying
doesn’t work either. A Yogi unites the pair of
opposites, purusa with prakriti, openness to
experiences with closed obsessive persistence,
and hard work with rest.

15. 5. Research Research always works to unblock
me. When stuck with something, I read everything
about it until a mental image forms and takes a life
of its own. For instance when I was struggling with
the beginning of my novel, I read four books by
the insightful Jonathan Kozol on kids in the Bronx
projects (where my protagonist grew up).

16. A sharp mental image of my character’s childhood
formed. His sub-conscious desires became
apparent and the story propelled forward by its
own accord.
Have you ever faced a creative block? How did
you overcome it? I’d love to hear your tips.

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