YOGA FOR CREATIVITY

Yoga

Success is a welcomed gift for the uninhibited mind ~ Adlin Sinclair
One of the most important components of our personality, which helps us deal effectively with several aspects of our life, is creativity.

Creativity is the ability to modify a new concept or an idea by a unique combination of older elements. It is a core competency for success. It is thus that creative skills play an important role in our personal as well as professional life. Generating fresh solutions to problems, creating new concepts, processes or services for a constantly changing scenario are part of the creative intellectual.

Well-known psychologist J.P.Guildford (1965) explained creativity as the ability to:
Go beyond the immediate solution
Redefine the problem or some part of it
Cope with ideas that are unusual
Change the old or create a new approach to a problem

There are a lot of people in the world who work very hard, but only a few attain a level of remarkable success. It has been conclusively found that the level of creative skill employed by an individual is a major differentiating factor between a layman and an achiever. Previous studies on the life of some of the most successful celebrities have found that creative ways of planning, implementation, decision-making and problem-solving are the hidden factors behind their success.

Are you Creative?
More often than not, creativity is associated with artistic talent. However, this is a misnomer. One does not necessarily have to be an artist to possess creative skills. Everyone, from a doctor to a salesman possesses some inherent creativity that they need to bring out to the fore to excel in their field of work. Some common features that define one’s creative skills are:

Do you possess?
An active brain Originality Confidence
Flexibility in thinking Divergent thinking Self discipline
Willingness to be different or do things differently Aim to work smarter, rather than harder The habit of asking ‘why’
Ability to observe things clearly Willingness to take risks A stretched mind

If you find yourself nodding to most of the attributes above, then CONGRATULATIONS – it has just been established that you are a creative person with increased chances of a bright future.

However, if not, then too there is no reason to worry. For, it is not only one with the above set of skills to who is a creative person. Creativity is not about what you are; it is essentially about how you deal with things. It is a natural phenomenon and everyone has some extent of creativity in their personality which can be developed.

Bringing out the creativity in you
Yes, that is right. Creativity can be enhanced through the traditional Indian science of YOGA.

Yoga is a science of wholeness, its approach whether theoretical or practical, is that of integration and its focus, the development of one’s personality. It is the best path to undertake to accomplish a highly developed mind and body. Yogic practices promote positive energy in our body, enrich the prana and advance the total well-being of the mind and body.

According to Swami Satyananda Saraswati, “Yoga helps an individual to develop not only physical stamina but also emotional stability, as well as their intellectual and creative talents too. It is a unified system for developing the balance of total personality. Yoga is a training in attitude, and one that helps in the broadening of one’s horizons and a philosophic outlook to life.”

Yoga Asanas to boost creativity
Here are some practices (Yoga Asanas) that can play an important role in the advancement of creative skills and personality development
Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendra Asana)
Bow Pose (Dhanur Asana)
Cobra Pose (Bhujanga Asana)
Palm Tree Pose (Tadasana)
Swaying Palm Tree Pose (Triyak Tadasana)
Waist Rotating pose (Kati Chakrasana)
Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar)
Frontal Brain Cleansing (Kapalbhati)
Alternate Nostril Breath (Anuloma Viloma Pranayam)
Humming Bee Breath (Bhramari Pranayama)

Practicing these, alongwith regular meditation can go a long way to calm one’s mind, and help them clear their perspectives on several fronts. It also helps one attain a more stable state of mind, control their emotions, have fewer mental fluctuations and invites creative thoughts.

Nourish your brain to exercise creative thoughts
Creativity is directly related to a well-nourished brain. A healthy brain is much more conducive to a creative thought-process. It is estimated that there are over 100 billion neurons available to facilitate thoughts. The complexity of the neural connections in the brain is evidence of our natural creative sides.

Also, neuropeptides play an important role in creativity. Neuropeptides have the greatest concentration in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which is found within or around the brain and the spine. Hatha Yoga practices are said to have a positive impact on the circulation of CSF. As the cerebrospinal fluid flows more freely around the brain and spinal cord, it stimulates cells to release serotonin, and when endorphins are released from the brain into CSF, it results in the feeling of euphoria, bliss and expanded consciousness. This enhances our ability to think and improves creativity.

Yogic practices enhance the circulation of the CSF because they generate a vibratory sound that have a stimulating effect on the liquid medium of the CSF as it circulates around the brain and spinal cord, thus enhancing the functioning of all important neuropeptides.

Meditation enhances creativity
Deep meditation opens up real intelligence, intuition and creativity. In recent years, science has given us several indications of the benefits of meditation for our brain and neural functions.

One study compared the DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) levels of people between the ages of forty and fifty years and who were into regular meditation with the DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) levels of a non-meditating group. It was found that those men who were into meditation had a 23% higher level of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone); it is a well-established fact known that DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is needed for a wide range of biological functions and is a vital factor for a creative mind.

Thus, there is no greater evidence required for the fact that if you aspire to be creative, you must also aim to practice Yoga. What are you waiting for then? Take up a Yoga mat and kickstart your brain cells into creative thinking right away!