A guest post by Eliza Lynn Tobin
When I was younger, I used to go out painting with my dad, who is a landscape artist. On one of these days out, I was standing in the sun, squinting out over the rolling green mountains of my hometown and gauging the colors on my palette by what I saw out there. Over my shoulder, my dad was painting away; creating a beautiful scene that captured not only the hills, but also the very air and the light filtering through it. It seemed he could capture all of that in a few easy, confident strokes of his brush. I looked back at my own painting: it was a mess of over mixed color, wrong proportions and blobs of ill-placed objects. It looked nothing like I imagined it would in my head.
My frustration began to mount. I could feel the tears stinging behind my eyes as each brush stroke made everything worse. In a final, fed-up-with-my-fiasco moment, I threw my brushes into the grass, cried, “I give up” and stomped off to go sit in the car. I stopped painting for a while after that, but I always came back to it because making art, after all, was my love. Despite my frustrations towards it, I could never stay away for long.
When I started doing yoga, I learned the incredible value of trusting my heart and letting go the outcome. When I stepped onto a yoga mat, I discovered a place where I could safely play: I could try a pose and experiment with how it felt in my body. I learned to listen to myself when I felt tired and challenge myself when I was energized. Most of all, I discovered that my body is different everyday and that if I tuned into it and let go of the idea that it had to be a certain way, or my practice needed to be a certain way, I felt ease, peace and satisfaction with myself.
As I continued to study yoga and create art, I realized something wonderful: everything that applies in my yoga practice, can also apply to my creative practice! This discovery changed the way that I engaged with my art. I came to it with more compassion, with a more playful and experimental attitude. I learned to listen more deeply to my creative spirit. I let go of the idea that what came out of my brushes had to be as perfect as it was in my head and suddenly, I was creating art that came out more easily, that felt good, and that empowered me.
My dad says that his best work is usually the work that “seems to paint itself.” It’s the work that comes from a place where the enjoyment of that process outweighs the (limited) intention to create a picture perfect product. It’s a place that yoga systematically teaches us to access.
Here are 5 steps to move into that place:
1. Stand with your feet hip width apart. Rock your weight around on your feet to find the big toe ball mound, the pinky toe ball mound, and the two corners of your heels. Anchor your weight equally into those four places. This teaches you to get grounded and stay rooted in your practice, so that no matter what happens, you’ll remember your deep foundational love you have for your practice.
2. Keep that rooting action as you begin to breathe in and out of your nose. Breathe deeply from your belly all the way to your collarbone. Without judgment, take note of the quality of your breath. What does it feel like moving in and out of your lungs? Listen in. Take note of it and let it go.
3. Lengthen up through the sides of your body, from your hip crease all the way to your armpits. Expand through your torso with the breath, like it is filling up with a creative fire. Take your shoulders back so that your heart is lifted and leading the way. You will develop greater trust in yourself by keeping your heart open, your body bright and your breath full and deep.
4. On your next inhale, bring your arms up over your head and on the exhale, float them back down by your sides. Continue to do this and allow the breath to lead your movement. Let the impulse for an inhale come first, then match the movement with your breath. When you learn to let the breath lead, you relax, your body becomes softer and you begin to merge with an expanded version of yourself. Trust that the next inhale, the next impulse will come. Surrender to the movement of the breath and savor the expression your body makes as it moves through space.
5. Continue to move the arms in tune with the breath. Notice where your mind goes. Feel yourself letting go of the results of this exercise and just be with the process, be with the breath and the deeper, unwavering creative light within you.
Now, it’s your turn to apply these yogic lessons to your own creative process. Follow steps 1-4 again, but this time replace the standing and moving the arms with the breath with your creative practice (painting, writing, making music, sewing).
I can’t wait to see what magic unfolds for you when you learn to trust your heart and let go of the outcome just a little bit more.
Leave a comment below to let Mayi and I know how it goes!
xo,
Eliza Lynn Tobin
Eliza Lynn Tobin is a writer, yoga teacher and artist, whose work is inspired by the life-affirming practice of yoga. She is the creator of Art Asana, a place where she enjoys helping yoga lovers live their yoga more creatively. She is also a co-creator (along with Courtney Pearce) of a 30 journey through yoga and art, called Dancing in the Fire. Connect with her on twitter @elizatobin.
