The parallels between yoga and writing…

And the ways a new non-fiction book relates to them both!

I saw this Note by Ashley Zuberi recently, and it resonated with me.

I’ve got a fledgling yoga practice, and a semi-consistent writing practice, and I wanted to share my thoughts on how these two intersect in my mind.

I agree with Ashley that it always feels so good to come back to these two practices after being away for a while. But I also notice how similar my feelings of resistance can be about doing both of these practices, and I find that interesting, too.

I’ve been attending a yoga flow class on Sunday mornings since the fall of 2024. I don’t go every weekend (usually because of travel plans), but I try my best to show up.

I would describe it as an intermediate class, in the sense that poses aren’t broken down step by step for those who might not know their names, and sometimes we end up in positions I haven’t done often, like flip the dog or half moon pose (I’m getting better at that second one, which is awesome!).

But there are also adjustments we can make in class, and the teacher will encourage us to skip a chaturanga or go into child’s pose if anything is ever too intense, which I appreciate.

The more often I attend this weekly class, the more comfortable I get with each pose, and the easier it is to do the next week. But every single week, without fail, I have to talk myself into going to the class—just like I have to talk myself into writing my novel each week.

I’ve self-published 6 books and have a couple more that are ready for publishing, which means I’ve gone through the entire writing process—from the inkling of an idea, all the way to final proofreading and finishing up formatting—multiple times.

And yet every time I have “write novel” on my to-do list for the day, I have to talk myself into writing.

With yoga, I try to think of it as a non-negotiable—I put this time on my calendar, I told my husband I was going, and I even paid for the class (!!!). (Granted, it’s a 10-class pack, so I don’t have to use it every week, but with my travel schedule, I have to use all 10 every weekend that I’m home so that I don’t waste any credits in the 90-day period.)

When I tell myself that it’s non-negotiable, and that part of my routine is getting out of the house on Sunday mornings and going to this yoga class, I’m much more likely to actually go. Sometimes I’ll grumble about it on the walk over to the yoga studio (did I mention the studio is a 5 minute walk from my house?? There’s really no excuse for me not going…), but by the time the class gets started, and definitely at the end, I’m glad I went.

I try to think of my writing in the same way—a non-negotiable that I’m not always enthusiastic about doing, but that is an important part of my routine and something I want to try not to skip during the week. And of course, once I get into the writing, and especially after the fact, I’m glad I wrote.

Recently, I read Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, and one takeaway from the book was how it can be better to think about the things we want to do by not focusing solely on the destination, but instead appreciating the journey (I’m paraphrasing hardcore here, so check out the book if you haven’t read it yet and want to learn more!).

Rather than focusing on the fact that I’m trying to finish a novel, I can instead appreciate the progress of writing this book, slow and steady week over week. Can I focus on the experience of writing, of coming up with new ideas or situations for my characters, of untangling a plot point or character arc?

If I put all of my focus on my writing session, and tried to ignore the little voice in my head that wants to be doing something else, that wants a snack, that thinks that last sentence was shitty… If I quiet those voices and focus on what I’m writing, can I appreciate just that experience, for the sake of the act of creativity?

Same with yoga—and I actually think it’s easier with yoga, because I’ve got a teacher who guides me in and out of the poses, and there’s not enough time for me to think draining or discouraging thoughts. Plus, it’s physically demanding, so I can’t really think too much about what I wish I was doing instead, because I’ve got to go from down dog to forward fold to mountain to tree pose, and all that takes a lot of concentration.

Maybe I can take some of the ways that I’m able to focus completely on my yoga class, and carry those techniques over into my writing practice, to help me focus more on the experience of writing, rather than working towards some end goal that’s far away and maybe won’t even feel all that great once I get there.

One strategy that works for both is having someone else involved in the process, either a yoga teacher or a writing buddy on a Zoom with me, keeping track of time as we do some writing sprints.

And maybe with writing, I can start to notice the small ways I’m getting steadily better at the work, in the same way I notice the small ways that I get stronger and more flexible with each yoga class.

And maybe after both, I can celebrate having done the thing and kept my commitment to myself to write and to do yoga.

Are you a writer who also practices yoga? How do you think the two relate to each other in your life? I’d love to know in the comments!