tranquil space newsletter muse

bonjour and welcome to a sultry month in dc! let me begin by expressing extreme gratitude for each of you who walk through the doors of tranquil space. i am so honored. as i begin work on a second book that focuses on mindful business and lifestyle, i stand in awe at the community that we’ve built together over the past 9 years. thank you from the bottom of my heart. tranquil space would not be here without your amazing support.

i’m fresh back from teaching a yoga + creativity workshop in san francisco and taking a 2-day workshop based on one of my favorite books. thus, i’m full of ideas and i welcome yours. as we strive to continue to live up to the honor of being named one of the top 25 yoga studios in the world by travel + leisure magazine, i am continually searching for ways to offer more tranquility to washingtonians. our goal is to offer you a true lifestyle-focused destination where you can sip organic tea (pots of tea and scones coming soon!), shop for green gifts, indulge in a massage or specialty treatment such as psychotherapy or ayurvedic consultation, and take oodles of creative tranquil space-style yoga classes. if there is something you would love to see added to the tranquil space menu of offerings, please share your ideas with us at mytranquilspaceidea.com.

in addition to idea-seeking, i wanted to share with you some inspiring insights on the interplay of yoga and creativity. my weekly column in the examiner has eight weeks dedicated to this combination but i want to go a step deeper and share how yogic principles can assist your creative practice. we are all creative (as maya angelou reminds us above) and are given opportunities to express this creativity every day from the words we choose, the way we dress, the music we listen to, and the way we decorate our cubicles. to weave your practice of yoga off the mat into your creativity, play with these 5 yamas and niyamas (moral tenets of yoga):

1. tapas: discipline. in order to create a business, book proposal, dress, or screenplay, you must set aside time to make it happen.
2. ahimsa: kind thoughts toward self and creations. sure your first draft might not woo the publisher, but by editing and tweaking with compassion, you’re destined to create a winner.
3. saucha: purity of surroundings. ensure your creative space is inviting for creativity. it is hard to create among chaos as you’ll constantly be pulled in other directions to tidy, organize, or answer e-mails.
4. santosha: contentment. be proud of your creations – however small. taking the time to honor and acknowledge your baby steps will have a powerful motivating effect to keep moving forward.
5. svadyaya: self-study. by taking time to reflect on what you want, how you’re feeling, and where you’re heading through yoga, journal writing, and meditation, you can ensure that you stay on the right path and continue moving forward.

may you continue to find inspiration and ways to express creativity daily on and off the yoga mat. thank you for allowing me to share my creative ideas with you over the past nine years at tranquil space.