The Artist’s (and the Yogi’s) Way

Inspiring and playful yoga and creative events in Paris this week

This tree is on a solo Artist Date © Design + Know-How

Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way is a 12-week course for rediscovering and reconnecting with your innate creativity. She recommends different techniques for doing so such as weekly reading, daily Morning Pages (three hand-written pages) and the ‘Artist Date’:

“The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore
something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly
“artistic” — think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the
imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the
play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well
of images and inspiration. When choosing an Artist Date, it is good to ask
yourself, “what sounds fun?” — and then allow yourself to try it.”

“What sounds fun?”

Can we apply that same fanciful spirit to how we approach a yoga or meditation practice? Can we be more supple in how we move our bodies, or detached when it comes to our free-ranging thoughts? In order to stay inspired, we sometimes need to set our habits aside for a moment: it could be trying a new style of yoga or a different studio, or meditating at a new time of day; it could be writing with a fountain instead of a ballpoint pen; or focusing on things that are green while you’re walking down the street. No aim; just play.

The thing is, once the flame of mastery—artistic, yogic, spiritual, what have you—burns low, how do we ensure the embers don’t die out too? (100% sounds like Carrie Bradshaw. I blame Netflix.)

Is there a museum you’ve always wanted to visit but you were waiting for the right time or someone to accompany you? No need. Take yourself there on an Artist Date. Are you curious about a workshop, yoga or otherwise, that sounds a little ‘out there’? Just try it!

Once a week, surprise yourself.

The point of the prompts in Julia Cameron’s book is to offer “a way of witnessing ourselves”. The daily and weekly practices—Morning Pages, reading, Artist Dates—are reminders, a set of Abhyasa-esque rituals dressed in Santa Fe colors. The point is to continue honing your attention and trusting your instincts, on and off the mat.

Below, some ideas for your very own Yogi Date in Paris as well as some additional resources at the end.