Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Aug/Sept 2016 Aspire Mag Full Issue | Page 90

“Practice is the effort to secure steadiness. Perfection in practice comes when one continues to practice with sincerity for a long period of time, without interruption.” – PATAÑJALI I’ve never understood why we must “do” writing when we can “practice” the violin; why we must “do” running when we can “practice” yoga. And yet, that’s where the collective perception stands: you either write, or you don’t; you’re either a writer, or you’re not. This black-and-white perception, in which one must occupy a single side of a definitive line, is one of the most damaging falsehoods in the creative world. If we must either do or not do, there is no room for us to evolve into ourselves as writers, or to show up authentically as beginners without trepidation. There is no room for practice. For the benefit of writers everywhere, it’s time to change this. In his Yoga Sūtras, Patañjali acknowledged the benefits of consistent practice. Sutras 1:13 and 1:14, roughly translated, state, “Practice is the effort to secure steadiness. Perfection in practice comes when one continues to practice with sincerity for a long period of time, without interruption.”* The same principles can be applied to writing. Expertise and comfort with the writing process can only emerge when we let go of our need to “do” or “not do,” and learn to just be with the art itself. Applying these and other foundational principles of yoga to writing presents an incredible opportunity for us to release unhelpful patterns of self-sabotage, insecurity, and perfectionism. If we shift our perspective to view writing practice as a goal unto itself―a place to encounter steadiness and sincerity within our art, rather than a means to an end―we can meet our words and ideas on common ground without judgment, and create joyfully, without attachment to result. Imagine if you could come to the page with the same ease with which you come to your morning rituals; if you could show up every day without 90 www.AspireMAG.net | August / September 2016