I've been a creative and professional writer for more than two decades. I studied journalism and creative writing in college and freelanced while raising my three kids. I've written content for radio, local and national magazines, corporate blogs and newsletters, fiction journals, nonprofits, and book publishers. In that time I also wrote five novels, a number of short stories, and a plethora of fiction and nonfiction picture books. Did I mention I was also raising three kids?

If you've worked in a creative field for a while, you're likely not impressed or surprised. Many creatives work hard and are recognized as successful in their fields and still don't earn enough to be the breadwinner in their families. Since we also have flexible schedules, we often become the primary caregivers of hearth and home, children, communities, relatives, and/or pets.

I've learned a lot working as a creative in the past twenty years. One thing I've learned is that sitting at a desk five to six hours a day writing while juggling my own personal projects and family is damn hard work and isn't always easy on the body or the spirit.

Sitting or even standing at a desk or workspace, hunched in the same position for hours at a time, takes a toll on the shoulders, hips, back, wrists--you name it. Creating something out of our heads can also mean we spend a lot of time living there and not in our bodies.

Though I worked closely with amazing editors who knew me by name, I rarely met them in person. Most days, my coworkers were me, my kids, and my cat. Freelance work can be lonely.

Then there's the mental and emotional strain. As professionals or experienced creatives, we're used to rejection, but that doesn't make it easy or pleasant. The keys to unlocking many of our creative goals are often held by indifferent gatekeepers, which can lead to frustration and even despair. The mental health struggle for creatives is real.

Yet, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Being self-employed has allowed me to do the work I love while caring for the people I love. I'm privileged that my spouse makes enough to support our family financially, so we don't have to rely on my income to pay essential bills. That doesn't make my work any less important to me though or running a successful and satisfying creative business stress-free.

So, back to the question in the title of this post: Can yoga and meditation improve creativity? Yes, yes it can. Because creativity isn't just something we do but something we are, and yoga helps make us better humans. I'm not only talking to creative professionals here either.

We as human beings are only half alive if we're not building something new. As Julia Cameron says so beautifully in her book, The Artist's Way, "If you think of the universe as a vast electrical sea in which you are immersed and from which you are formed, opening to your creativity changes you from something bobbing in that sea to a more fully functioning, more conscious, more cooperative part of that ecosystem."

Yoga and meditation help my creativity, because they help me as a person. My practice supported me through the upheaval of 2016 and the pandemic. A few years ago, my practice supported my activated nervous system as I restructured my life. I left a familiar way of being for an environment that worked for my creativity instead of against it. Through it all, I kept writing.

If you prefer research to anecdotes, Studies show that yoga and meditation improve creativity. To see the benefits, you need to experience yoga and meditation for yourself.

If you're looking to begin (or continue) your journey with others, I've built a free, supportive online community called the Kriative Sangha. We meet as creative humans once a month to meditate and talk about aspects of our practice that can support our relationships and health so we can do our most powerful creative work. I'd love to have you!

Sign up for the Kriative Sangha.

If you're looking for a place to start with yoga, join my community. Hit the "subscribe" button at the top of the page to get the latest news as my classes and workshops are announced.
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