Welcome to this combined practice intended to help you relax into your instinctive creativity.
We will be using relaxation techniques,
Breath work and a visualization to guide ourselves into that magical place that lives within us all.
When you're ready spend some time getting really comfortable.
You can sit or lie down whichever feels good for you.
Get cushions,
Blankets,
Maybe light a candle or burn something you love the smell of.
This time is for you so allow yourself to relish in it.
Perhaps you're preparing to write,
Draw or speak creatively or maybe you simply want to approach your relationships with family,
Colleagues or children from a more creative place.
Whether you're feeling blocked or you want to dive deeper these techniques will prepare you for a flow of creativity.
Firstly let me explain why relaxation is crucial to creativity.
While you're listening simply allow the weight of your body to sink into the earth.
As your brain wanders take a mental note of what comes up before you come back to my voice.
Have you ever been struggling to find a solution to something or make a creative choice?
You just can't come up with the right thing and then later that day you're having a really relaxing soothing shower or bath and seemingly out of nowhere you have an aha moment.
Or do genius ideas often strike just as you are drifting off to sleep?
Well there is a very clear scientific reason for this.
If you imagine an iceberg and at the top the bit we see above the surface is our conscious mind.
Below the surface where 90% of the iceberg lies hidden from sight is our subconscious mind.
The brain at rest moves into slower longer alpha brain waves allowing us to more effectively access the subconscious mind.
It is alpha brain waves that help the brain unearth remote ideas,
Explore different combinations of them and test out various solutions.
When it finds something interesting that is where those seemingly magic light bulb moments come from.
Remember that image of the iceberg where 90% lies under the surface.
You have so much more knowledge and creativity within you than you realize.
And don't forget the brain produces these waves not when you're focusing intently on them but when you're in a state of relaxation and calm.
So it might be time to make relaxation a priority.
Let's start with a breathing exercise to do just that.
Relaxing the body and calming the mind.
We're going to be sighing.
It's highly possible that sighing was something you were told off for doing as a child or something even now you feel is rude or inappropriate.
Well it's time to reframe this incredibly powerful natural urge we all have.
Studies have shown that sighing for five minutes is more effective at reducing stress and regulating the nervous system than circular breathing or mindfulness meditation.
When you sigh you take a deep breath with a long exhale.
This simple act tells our body that we are safe.
It also stimulates the vagus nerve slowing down the heart rate,
Lowering the blood pressure and relieving tension.
So we're going to sigh together for five minutes.
To start take a few conscious breaths just observing which parts of the body move on the inhale and on the exhale.
Observe how the breath feels smooth,
Rough,
Short,
Long.
If you can breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And on the next inhale allow the breath to move a little deeper into the body allowing the upper belly and ribs to rise on the inhale as you fill the lungs and allow them to fall back down as you release the exhale.
After the next inhale open the mouth slightly and sigh it out.
Really allow yourself to enjoy this breath.
Don't be afraid to be loud or over the top.
Keep sighing now in your own time.
If yawns arrive as they sometimes do during this practice even better enjoy those too.
See how big you can exaggerate them really experiencing the feeling of your facial muscles moving and contracting.
Stay connected to the upper belly and the ribs allowing them to move up and out on the inhale and drop back down on the exhale of the sigh.
If it feels comfortable to see if you can extend this exhale so that it's longer than the inhale.
You can keep doing this until your exhale is twice the length of your inhale but always stay in the sweet spot deepening without resistance or tension.
As we move deeper thoughts will likely come up.
Just notice them.
Don't attach any worth to them.
Don't judge them.
Just observe.
Then come back to the breath and sigh it out.
You can release the sigh now returning to a natural steady breath.
Do a quick check-in.
Does the body feel any different to how it did before?
Did anything surprising come up?
Keeping your eyes closed stay connected to the breath as it moves deep into your lungs.
Let's do a quick scan down the body to see if we can let go of any tension that might still be there.
Your forehead,
Your eyebrows,
Your jaw.
With each exhale allow your body to soften a little more.
Your neck your shoulders your chest your arms Relax a little deeper.
Your wrists your hands your thighs Breathing space into any tension.
Your calves your ankles your feet each of your toes.
Softening.
Softening.
Allow a sense of ease to flow through you.
Take a moment to reflect.
Has anything come up during the practice so far?
Were there any patterns to your thoughts,
Recurring sensations or feelings?
It's really helpful to acknowledge these however you perceive them.
Choose curiosity over judgment.
This practice draws on the concept of neuroplasticity,
The brain's ability to change,
Reorganize and grow new neural networks.
The brain's power is mammoth but it doesn't always work in our favor because it can't always differentiate between imagination and reality.
This is why you can feel tension in your body or a racing heart just thinking about a stressful situation.
But every time you decide to not engage with limiting thoughts you create an opportunity for your brain to build a new neural pathway.
Slowly but surely lessening the hold those limiting thoughts have over you.
So repeat to yourself three times now.
I am curious.
I am curious.
I am curious.
Knowing the brain works in this powerful way gives us endless opportunity to take advantage of it.
For example simply creating a mental image of yourself doing something like performing with confidence and ease to a packed audience or doing your best time yet on the track activates many of the same brain areas that actually experiencing these situations would.
Olympic athletes use this technique.
So i'll be guiding you through a visualization now and my recommendation is to take a gentle and exploratory approach.
If you're someone who has often found visualization challenging if you find it hard to picture a place and you in it don't worry this is far less about what you see and much more about tapping into the feeling of the moment i guide you into.
Imagine a child it could be you when you were younger a child you know or not.
Imagine them in a setting that is fun for them.
It could be a room full of toys or it could be looking for creatures in rock pools or building a den in the woods.
You could even choose a setting that is in some way related to the creative practice that you do.
Are they painting their interpretation of that mountain landscape you've been admiring?
Observe them with curiosity.
How are they interpreting the things around them?
How are they interacting with objects or people or ideas?
Children are naturally curious.
It's one thing we do not have to teach them.
You will often find toddlers transfixed by light switches or door handles or bottle lids.
Children are born curious.
You were born curious.
The number of questions a toddler can ask can seem infinite.
It's how they learn and they aren't afraid to try something in a new way.
So again imagine that child with all that endless curiosity,
Excitement,
Playfulness and freedom.
Now place yourself in their shoes.
See if you can cultivate those feelings within yourself.
Remember they're not looking ahead to the end goal or considering what someone looking on will think.
They are simply in the moment testing things out for the fun of it.
How do they see the world?
What magic are they experiencing that you may have forgotten how to?
How do they pick up the paintbrush or interpret those words or play that harmony?
Can you feel the difference in your body?
Can you reignite your instinctive curiosity,
Playfulness and creativity?
We already know that your body can't always tell the difference between imagined or reality.
So whenever you can come back to this feeling of curiosity,
Fun and magic your brain will thank you for it and it will show in your creative output.
It's time now to start bringing some energy back into your body preparing you for your creative pursuits.
So let's sit up if you aren't already and open your eyes.
We're going to stick with the playful theme and do a quick energizing breath called lion's breath.
As well as helping to awaken the body and mind and release toxins it can open and clear the throat chakra which relates to our communication,
Self-expression and creativity.
This breath involves forceful exhalations through the mouth with the tongue extended and stretched down toward the chin.
So a great opportunity to practice putting self-consciousness aside.
Here's how you do it.
Lean slightly forward bracing your hands on your knees or the floor.
Spread your fingers as wide as possible.
Inhale through the nose.
Open your mouth wide stick out your tongue and stretch it down toward your chin.
Exhale forcefully making a sound that comes from deep within your abdomen.
Keep the tongue out for the entire exhale and don't be afraid to get loud.
You can also fix your eyes on your third eye during the exhale.
That's the space between your eyebrows or simply open your eyes wide and gaze up toward the ceiling or sky.
Give it a go now in your own time.
Breathe normally for a few moments afterwards.
Then repeat lion's breath up to four more times.
And relax after your next exhale.
Hopefully you're feeling a little more energized now.
Before we go i'll leave you with some final thoughts on authenticity.
A common block people experience comes from their desire to create something or be creative in a way that is based on what we think others want or perhaps on the way others are doing things because we perceive it to be better than the way we would do it.
But just imagine for a moment that the thing people really want to experience is a creative manifestation of your own authentic voice.
Your totally unique way of seeing and experiencing the world and equally unique way of sharing your skills and talents.
So choose to trust yourself to be curious and have faith in your unique creativity.
And when self-doubt creeps up as it tends to do,
Remember this.
No one will create something the way that you do.
Isn't that wonderful?
That's your gift to the world.
Thank you for joining me.
Have a beautiful day.
Happy creating.
