Ahimsa is the foundation of our yoga practice. It is the first of what is called the Yamas + Niyamas or ethical guidelines on the 8-limb path.
Ahimsa means non-harm or non-violence.
How can you practice that with your writing?
Let yourself write instead of keeping the words stuck inside of you. That energy stagnates, filling you with heaviness and shame. Let the words flow if even into a journal that nobody else will read.
Let what you write be good enough for now. Write the messy, imperfect first draft. Let it suck. Let it change tense and points of view. Once there is a draft, it can be revised. A blank page can not. Don’t let fear or shame keep you from even starting.
Read your words with compassion whether in your journal or your memoir or story. You can have compassion and still see what needs to be revised or edited. No need to berate yourself for what you have written.And let go of comparison. No comparing your writing to others, no comparing sales or number of followers/shares/likes/comments. Don't let comparison rob you of the joy you find in writing.
Set up a space for your writing. Whether it is time in your schedule, a corner of a room, a table at a cafe or an entire room of your own. Let your writing know that it matters by creating time and space for it to exist.
This is from Liz Gilbert. She recommends not making your art responsible for supporting you financially. Make money another way and let your art be your art.
Take care of your physical body. Writing is mental and emotional but it also requires physical stamina to sit in a chair or stand at a desk. Take walks, do yoga, drink water, eat healthy foods, get enough restorative sleep, meditate to cultivate a relationship with your mind.
Choose your readers thoughtfully. We definitely need other eyes to read our work but choose those eyes with care. And be specific about what you need from them. Are you looking for areas of confusion? If there are plot holes? Do you just need encouragement to keep going?
Nourish your writing with reading. Read widely and often. Read books similar to what you want to write but also read books totally outside of your wheelhouse.
Find a creative mantra that inspires you. Currently mine is from Amie McNee: “My creative success is inevitable.”
Finally, share you work instead of letting it sit in a dark drawer or notebook or laptop folder. Sharing your work in some way tells your art that it is needed. That there is a reason for it to exist. There are so many options available to us now: personal blogs and websites, Substack, Vocal, Medium, traditional publishing, indie publishing, self-publishing. My favorite quote that gets me to share my writing is this:
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