Writing should be an Olympic sport. Typing at faster speeds than average, sitting for long periods, and harsh amounts of screen time certainly add physical wear and tear to the body. But, becoming a yogi could solve your writing problems.

A career in writing may be less intense than flying alongside Sha'Carri Richardson to top a 10.86 second time in a 100-meter race, but producing legendary results as the outcome of hard work and sacrifice is the same for both fields. I mean, Anthony E (Chak) did win the 2020 Ultimate Typing Championship with 233 WPM.
Writers sit in front of blue-lit computers, tablets, and phone screens for hours, daily. Granted, protective blue-light glasses shield our corneas from screen damage (well, they are supposed to), but nothing makes up for the incorrect posture caused by sitting for extended timeframes. You can wear a posture corrector, like me, but the long-term effects of working in an upright position are more powerful than a velcro, back-strap, although they do help.
But, what about the painful carpal tunnel, arthritis, spine, and wrist injuries, brain fog, and forgetfulness that writers endure as we crank out entertainment, breaking, and thought-provoking news? YOGA! That's what's about it. Yoga can be used to correct posture, strengthen joints, clear the mind, relax muscles, and help inspire new perspectives, thus giving you new ideas... to WRITE!
No, I am not suggesting that you ignore your doctor's appointments for pain or health management. However, I am introducing a more holistic approach to your writing career and lifestyle. So, perhaps, you can live to write more history. Ya know? How will you successfully pitch major publications if every time you caress your keyboard, you feel like your hand is about to fall off, or your fingers start sticking together like glue for seconds at a time, and you can't think of another sentence to save your life... or your project? Right. It's time to grab a yoga mat and breathe in deep.
1. No More "Writer's Posture"
If you find yourself slouched over at the shoulders and upper back, add a few yoga exercises to your morning AND night routines. There are all sorts of YouTube videos for posture correction. I love doing sessions from the 30-day “Yoga for Posture” playlists.
During these sessions, you may even find some problematic areas in your back, shoulders, and neck due to long-term habits of poor posture.
Outside of doing yoga, be mindful of your movements throughout the day. The more you remember to "SIT UP" the more you will begin to sit properly.
2. No More "Fog Brain"
How many times have you had a really good idea and could not, for the life of you, remember it just moments later? How often do you get writer's block? Do you run to your computer with enthusiasm, only to stare at the screen with a blank face?
I think all writers do.
Yoga is an unwritten cure for boggled brains and forgetfulness. At the start of each yoga class, you simply breathe deeply and release all the tension in your body. Relaxing your brows, dropping your jaw, removing your tongue from the roof of your mouth, rolling your shoulders back, and thinking about NOTHING AT ALL does work wonders with quieting your anxious thoughts.
We are constantly thinking, acting, and reacting. While emptying your mind may sound like an easy thing to do, for an unbalanced, unfocused person it will be difficult to shut off your thoughts for even one second. Many cannot sit with their spirit for any amount of time. Yoga helps one balance from the inside out.
Yoga helps calm the mind and makes you connect with your body and soul. You must constantly inhale and exhale as you stretch in and out of position. And, the intentional breathing alone will help your mind begin to clear its overcast. As thoughts come, you, simply acknowledge them and breathe again.
And, believe it or not, when you breathe into a difficult yoga pose, the stretch becomes a little more bearable. Almost like magic.
So, the next time you feel stressed out. please open a yoga book or watch a video specifically for clearing the mind. This is how you should, first, try curing anxiety, confusion, creative blockage, and feelings of depression. Yoga helps you go inward.
3. HOLY GRAIL: No More Wrist & Hand Pain
There are specific yoga poses designed to stretch and rehabilitate your wrists and fingers. As a writer, your hands are moving a lot faster than an average person's (even if they’re sending a heated text), and in that case, YOGA to the rescue.
Before you start a long day of writing, spend a while twirling your hands and stretching out your fingers.
4. Become Balanced
With deadlines here and deadlines there, yoga can help create balance in your mind and daily routine.
We talked about breathing for anxiety but inhaling and exhaling into balance poses like warrior and tree increases your strength and the mind-body connection.
Once you are balanced mentally it will translate into your physical life. 24 hours will start to feel more like 34 hours when you get focused on your inner peace and tranquility.... thanks to Yoga!
I so hope that all of these reasons for incorporating yoga into your writing career will change your life, starting with the comfort of your wrist and the state of your mental health. I have been doing yoga for a little while now, and I can always feel the benefits. I stand taller, type faster, breathe deeper, and even sleep better. The things I used to forget I now remember (word to my planners and agendas).
Yoga is a lifestyle and the fact that you can do some of the poses right from your desk chair is top-tier! Thank me later and have a great day.
Holla.
"Shut up, Shabetti."
"No." -Shabetti
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