Yoga and Creativity

In Fall 2007, Angelique Shofar, Founder and Director of Spirit of Wellness (www.spiritofwellness.org) interviewed Author Ananda Leeke about the role that yoga plays in her creative process. Below is an excerpt from the interview that was included in Shofar's newsletter.

AS: What is your definition of yoga?

AL: Yoga is an African science that originated in ancient Egypt. It was codified by Pantajali, an Indian second century sage who wrote the Yoga Sutra. Yoga utilizes prayer, meditation, chanting, breathing techniques, and physical exercises (postures) to teach one how to balance emotion, action, and intelligence. In Sanskrit, yoga means union with Spirit in our breath, spirit, heart, mind, and body. When we unite every part of ourselves with Spirit, we live in the present moment… the now… the only place we are supposed to be. Living in the present moment allows us to honor, love, and accept ourselves and our bodies as they are. This is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves.

AS: How did you come to practice yoga?

AL: Yoga came to me shortly after I turned 30. I learned about it during Author Tony Browder’s African American history trip to Kemet/Egypt in July 1995. What I learned during the trip is that yoga is an African science that was codified in India. I saw temple images of Africans doing yoga during my trip. Making this connection helped me connect with yoga as a gift from my African ancestors.

When I returned home, I was blessed with my yoga teacher, Gloria who taught me yoga in my home. I was very happy to have one-on-one instruction because yoga classes were very intimidating. Gloria taught me kind and gentle yoga for my daily life.

At that time, I had lower back pains (still do) and was working in a highly stressful job. I was running to release the stress from my job in finance. The problem was that I did not stretch or breath deeply. So my daily practice focused on pranayama and asanas that supported my lower back, opened my hips, and worked my leg muscles. I fell in love with the sun salutation and child’s pose. They became my daily home practice. I love child’s pose so much that I still do it in the bed before I go to sleep and when I wake up.

AS: How has yoga helped your novel's creative process?

AL: Yoga has helped me surrender my ego and need to control the creative process. Whenever I find myself becoming anxious about the process (... especially now that I am in the final days of completing this project), I take a deep breath, raise my arms above my head in worship pose with my hands in prayer. As I exhale, I chant the Sanskrit mantra "Namaha" which means surrender. I take another deep breath and lower my arms slowly while chanting Namaha. My teacher Debra Mishalove taught me this exercise. It helps center me and calms my need to push for things that are out of my control.

Whenever I have writer's block, I come into child's pose on my yoga mat or in my bed. Most times, I stretch my arms out in front of me. My fingers are wideneded and get a nice web-like stretch. Generally, I hold this pose for a long time (i.e. fifteen to twenty minutes) because it relaxes me and releases stress from my lower back. I love to focus my breathing on opening my third eye, the sixth chakra which governs my intuition and allows for clarity and understanding.

Another pose that I like to do when I have writer's block is forward fold because it creates a blood rush in my brain. It gives me a little buzz. I also enjoy doing downward facing dog for the same reason.

When I am not in the mood to write, but know that I have to like this morning, I do a series of four to six sun salutations. The series awakens my mind and warms my body. It becomes a magical elixir.

If I have nonstop mind chatter that prevents me from focusing, I come into easy pose and cleanse my chakras by chanting each seed mantra (lam-vam-ram-yam-ham-om-soham). I close the experience by chanting one of my favorite enlightenment mantras such as Om Namah Shivaya, Om Mani Padme Hum, or the Gayatri Mantra.

When things are really tight and I can't breakthrough with any of these exercises, I lay in corpse pose and breathe deeply while giving myself Reiki healing touch. This always does the trick. It refreshes me and allows me to come into my higher self.

Yoga has taught me that I am a vessel for the creative expression of the Divine Spirit. It has allowed me to get out of the way of my ego. With it, I am learning to live as my true self.

Yoga and The Creative Process