Jessica Style

At some point, we were all passionately creative artists. Give a child a crayon and he/she will create a work of art. It may look like scribbles to most of us, but it is an art to him/her. But if you give an adult a crayon, many will say, “I’m not creative.”, and hand the crayon back.

As we grow up, more of our creative nature is destroyed by the layers of stress that get added to our life. Instead of letting our minds be creative and think freely, we get bogged down with the realities of life. Time is devoted to more necessary tasks, and our creative drive begins to dissipate.

We are taught that becoming an adult is putting away childish things. Being silly, being creative, and being fun are all supposed to be replaced by practicality. But this is no way to live! As adults, we can still unleash the fun creative parts of ourselves.

The surprising key to opening that door again is very simple but so hard at the same time. We need to relax. That’s it! Chill out, take a break, and just relax. This is unfortunately so much harder than you’d think. Just try telling someone who is having a panic attack to “chill out”. It never works.

However, there are methods we can use to focus on that relaxation, and yoga is the prime candidate. When someone is solely focused on the yoga pose he/she needs to hold and ensuring that he/she is breathing, he/she can’t get hung up on the stress that lingers around his/her life. This mindset is necessary to bring back the creative impulses inside all of us.

When we discuss creativity, many people think it means that we expect them to be painters or sculptors. But when we refer to creativity, we want you to think of that creative spark that resides in all of us. It can present itself to many people in different ways. Growing up, my mother’s form of creativity was baking. She would take something simple, like a cookie or a cake, and would embellish it in fun ways. My dad loved gardening, and his favorite form of creativity was when he would trim the hedges. They were normally standard and straight-edged, but occasionally, he would feel that creative spark and create interesting designs instead.

The first task, though, is using yoga to break down that wall that blocks your creativity. Let that stress completely melt away and disappear. Focus on the feeling that flows through your body. It is the creative spirit just wanting to breakthrough. After the yoga class is done and reality starts setting in again, that creative spark will start to reside. Through more yoga practice, you can start to extend that blissful sensation and start to listen to the impulse that your creative spark is sending your way. Be patient with yourself, and slowly but surely, your inner child will want to come out and play. Grab a box of crayons and start having fun!