Table of Contents
Praise for Writing Yoga
A warm, compassionate, and intimate guide to the journey through words and yoga postures to the vastness that lies beyond them. Through his own personal explorations of yoga and journal-writing, Bruce Black illuminates the path of selfdiscovery, creativity, and transformation.
Anne Cushman, author of Enlightenment for Idiots: A Novel
For anyone whos looking for answers, Bruce Blacks Writing Yoga will absolutely help you find themon the page, and on the mat.
August Gold, author of Prayer Partners
I have been writing and studying yoga for years now but never thought to join these two passions until I read Bruce Blacks account of his own journey. He says yoga can be a catalyst for change. So can reading this honest, profound, and compassionate book!
Louise Hawes, author of Anteaters Dont Dream, Faculty,
MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults,
Vermont College of Fine Arts
The practice of yoga is a process of uncovering our thoughts, beliefs, and assumed limitations, be they physical, emotional, or mental. In this warm, personal book, Bruce Black reveals how his own journey in yoga and writing has brought clarity and direction to his life. Try his suggestions; I have. And see if you dont feel more at ease and present with your life.
Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., P.T., yoga teacher
and coauthor of What We Say Matters
In memory of my father, David B. Black.
May his memory be a blessing.
Acknowledgments
The first four letters of the word journal are the same as the first four letters of the word journey. They spell jour, the French word for day or daily. The process of keeping a journal, as I have over the past few years, is one of making a journey, an interior journey, which unfolds every day from the moment you open your notebook and begin writing.
During the years that I spent writing this book, I was assisted in my journey by many people who were kind enough to extend a helping hand. Their enthusiasm for this project and their faith in my ability to complete it were great gifts. I feel surrounded by their love and support.
I owe a special debt of gratitude to the following people:
My yoga teachers, Jaye Martin and Rita Knorr, who have become more than teachers, and who knew before I did that practicing yoga and keeping a journal would help me expand in ways that I could not have imagined. Their devotion to yoga, and their belief in the endless possibilities of life, continue to serve as inspiration for my writing and my yoga practice.
Vesna Petrovich, Corey Terzo, and Nancy Zampellaall dedicated teachers who I studied with at Garden of the Heart Yoga Center and who helped me find my way.
The students in Ritas class, who gathered on Tuesday mornings and who shared their lives so generously each week, especially Lena and Pat, who offered more support (and humor) than they knew, and who continue offering their support as we prepare for our weekly classes with Jaye.
Paula Morris, a student in Ritas class who now teaches at GOH, and Jeanne Panka, a fellow student in Jayes class, who read portions of this manuscript in its earliest stage, when many of the ideas were mere shadows, and offered the same loving encouragement and support that they offer in class whenever I find myself in a difficult pose.
Randall Buskirk, for his willingness to share insights into yoga and writing over lunch at Mos place on the Trail, and for teaching in his class at GOH, where Im a frequent drop-in on Friday mornings, about the importance of patience and listening to your heart.
Betsey Downing, Ph.D., the founder of Garden of the Heart Yoga Center, whose vision of life and its myriad possibilities guides each class, and John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, who Ive never met but whose spirit pervades the classes at GOH.
My teachers and friends in the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College, as well as other writers, who have so generously shared their knowledge of the craft and their insights into the writing process over the years: Graham Salisbury, Jacqueline Woodson, Norma Fox Mazer, Marion Dane Bauer, Louise Hawes, Phyllis Root, Ellen Howard, Chris Lynch, Sharon Bryant, Cynthia Bassett, Anita Riggio, Judy Kuns, Carmela A. Martino, Carolyn Crimi, Dave Masterton, Chuck Entwistle, Jack ORourke, Steven Schnur, David Shifren, Amy Lang, and B.J. Chute.
Donald Moyer and Linda Cogozzo, my talented copublishers.
Rick Black, my brother, for always looking at lifes challengesespecially when it comes to finding the time to writewith humor and patience, for never failing to break into a hearty laugh of disbelief whenever I describe myself attempting a difficult, pretzel-like yoga pose, and for his unwavering faith that, even when it appears that I may have taken a wrong turn, Ill find my way again.
Susan, my loving (and lovely) and ever-patient wife, and Madeline, our wise-beyond-her-years daughter, for their unflagging enthusiasm for this project and for their daily support (and suggestions over dinner) during the many months that it took to complete the manuscript, for doing the extra loads of laundry and dishes that I was supposed to do, and for running to the grocery store for another loaf of bread or gallon of milk while I was hunched over my desk, lost in a maze of revisions.
David B. Black, my dear father, who would have loved to see the publication of this book but who died on June 7, 2009, at the age of ninety-four, six months before I submitted the completed draft for publication. His spirit guides my work even now, these many months after his death.
And a special note of gratitude to you, dear reader, for joining me on this journey.
Introduction: Getting Started
Give yourself permission to make mistakes, to be.
FROM MY JOURNAL
A journal is another proplike a block, a belt, a blanketfor you to use in your yoga practice. It can help you open to another side of yourself. By keeping a journal in conjunction with your yoga practice, youll develop a greater sense of mindfulness and purpose, and through your newfound focus youll uncover insights about yourself and your practice that may surprise you.
This book is a tool to help you get started with your practice journal. In each chapter I share some of my explorations on the mat and reflect on how my yoga practice, combined with keeping a journal, led to insights into my life. Each chapters themes can be woven into the rhythms of your own yoga and journal practice, so you can dip into the book chapter by chapter or read it through in its entirety before going back to explore the themes that resonate more strongly for you.
Youll find exercises at the end of each chapter to help you further explore the chapters topics as they relate to your life. Feel free to follow the exercises or design your own set of questions after finishing a chapter. Through the process of writing on a regular basis, you will discover what works and what doesnt, so you can develop your own journal practice.
First Steps
In high school in the late 1960s, whenever I gazed down at a blank sheet of paper in the hope of writing a story or poem, I felt my insides wither and my mind go numb. I was frozen with fear that my teachers might consider whatever I wrote foolish and inane.