Yoga can help our creativity to flow. Teacher Robin Watkins-Davis writes about how yoga informs her artistic expression by reinforcing her playfulness and inspired her to create art with her body.
Yoga for Creativity
“My yoga practice really helps my creativity” writes MFML teacher Robin Watkins – Davis “being present and relaxed enables me to explore and play which is crucial for making creative work.” Robin who was UK’s youngest yoga instructor and has a teen yoga series on Movement for Modern Life fuses her love of art and yoga together to produce all sorts of experimental outcomes and is exhibiting her yoga-inspired art work in January.
Shift Happens with Creativity
Robin has based her latest work, ‘shift’ on yoga and transformation: “The thing I love most about yoga is the journey it takes me on. I experience a physical, mental and emotional shift after practicing. It’s like that feeling you get at the end where something deep inside has changed and settled and most importantly it helps my creativity flow.”
Robin has documented this ‘shift’ in her artwork, culminating in an award-winning installation consisting of seven pieces of suspended Perspex which have body prints on. When these Perspex slides are lit they reveal stunning marks and details of the human form.
“I used the Perspex slides as my yoga mat, covering them with body paint and then using my body as the paint brush to produce the work. It was so much fun to move the body and to bring yoga into art. Moving in the paint really helped me to have greater awareness of the parts of my body that were contacting the surface.”
Meditation and Creative Connection
Robin sees a clear connection between her creativity and the sense of connection that yoga brings. ” To get into the creative zone, it’s really helpful to be relaxed, fresh and open minded. I find yoga and meditation are great to clear out all the ‘junk’ in our minds so that the creativity can flow.” Robin also feels that yoga helps her to express her creativity in a way that is authentic. ” A connection to a sense of sacredness and that connection to oneself is a really useful tool to work with when making your own unique, creative artwork; after all most artists want their work to be authentic and come from within.”
Free your Creativity
If you’re inspired to use yoga to explore your own creativity and gain a deeper body awareness, Robin recommends Dan Peppiatt’s class on grounding and awareness to free your playful side.
>>Dan’s Grounding and Awareness class<<
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Robin was the UK’s youngest yoga teacher and she adapts her yoga sequences to be relevant to young adults. She believes that yoga can bring immense benefits to young people by helping to reduce stress, breathe more deeply and become body confident. Art is Robin’s other passion.
You can see Robin’s exhibition from 11th – 14th January 2018 at the Painswick Centre, GL6 6QQ
Follow Robin’s art journey on Instagram @rart.insta | Twitter @ RART_TWEET |Facebook @robinwatkinsdavisart
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