Yoga + creative expression (art without the capital A) are complementary practices, one spontaneously arising from and nourishing the other. When we work thru sadhana (yogic practice) to still our minds and fine-tune our somatic container, we strengthen our capacity to release and receive Shakti (earth’s creative energy). The practices of yoga + art both bring to the surface unconscious patterns for us to unpack and courageously witness. Often, thru asana the patterns in our physical body are illumined; in meditation, our mental; and in art, our emotional. And as our practice deepens, we come to understand the asanas as intelligent energetic blueprints. Similar to the felt sensation one gets when witnessing a powerful painting, when we move into and find the “seat of stillness” promised in asana, we begin to feel it as sacred image in its own right.

Art moves us from the subtle to the gross, from imagination to the materials; yoga moves us from gross physical form into subtle realms of heart and mind, from sensation into silence.

Yoga + creative expression tools are often used in my classes. From the intuitive and abstract Blue Sky Body drawings before and after class, to large-scale imaginal paintings … we focus on process, on trusting our creative energies (often long suppressed) and maybe even glimpsing the Mystery.