Keep the channel open – five cleansing practices to support creativity

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.”

– Martha Graham

This quote was posted on the wall when I took a songwriting workshop in Nashville with Jonatha Brooke, a singer-songwriter I have loved since I was a little girl. On the first day, we talked about what it means to keep the channel open. Jonatha led us through exercises designed to get past blocks and tap into that creative flow that is unique to each one of us. Songwriting, like any art form, offers us a chance to let go of the critical mind, the one that asks “how good it is” or “how valuable.” In the best moments of songwriting, we tap into some pure form of expression. 

When I left Nashville, my heart was full of the wisdom Jonatha had imparted, and my notebook was full of lyrics. In parting, Jonatha gave each of us a gift: a pocket-sized bright green notebook, in which she had written, “Keep the channel open.” This small notebook is one of my most prized possessions, both because it was given to me by one of my personal heroes, and because this simple phrase is a reminder of what I consider to be my “job” in this life.

If our job as artists and as humans is to keep the channel open, two questions arise for me. First, what blocks this channel, and second, what can we do to unblock it? Of course, there are writing exercises, creative prompts, workshops and books on creativity, usually all designed to clear negative beliefs and get past the critic that tells us what we create is no good. This is a huge part of the work. But from my studies of Ayurveda, I know that we can’t look at creativity in a vacuum, just as we can’t look at health in a vacuum. This leads me to ask something I’ve been curious about for a long time: what does Ayurveda have to say about creativity? 

If you’ve heard anything about Ayurveda, you’ve probably heard about food lists, and body types that correspond to certain doshas. But the principles of Ayurveda go much deeper. Ayurveda is a way of explaining the qualities of the outside world and the qualities within our own bodies. It is a way of understanding the dance between the two. When we incorporate Ayurvedic principles into our life, it offers us a way to thrive on many levels. Ayurvedic medicine looks at the big picture. It takes into account not just your diet or physical conditions, but also your lifestyle, your emotions, and what you are doing to connect with your life purpose. It acknowledges that to fix one ailment, we have to look at all these aspects of a person.

If we are blocked creatively, then, does it not make sense to also look at our diet and lifestyle? Although this may not be what Martha Graham had in mind when she said the above quote, I would argue that how we spend our days, what we put into our bodies, and how we take care of ourselves comprises a huge part of “keeping the channel open.” 

Keeping channels open and clear plays a big part in Ayurvedic medicine. I’ll try to give you a taste for this concept without going too in-depth into the complex Ayurvedic view of the body systems. Basically, Ayurveda views the body as being made up of seven layers of tissues (or dhatu) – for example: blood, muscle, and bone are each a separate tissue layer. Between each layer runs a channel that is both physical and energetic (called srotamsi). These channels carry the nourishment from one tissue layer to the next, ultimately supplying us with all the nutrition and sustenance our body needs to live in a state of health and balance. A channel can become blocked for many reasons, and when it does, health will begin to break down in big or small ways. 

The idea may be confusing but how we address it is beautifully simple. Everything starts with what we put into our bodies. This is why Ayurveda places a huge emphasis on digestion! The quality of the food we eat and how well it is broken down in our digestive system affects the quality of nourishment that is carried through the channels to each layer of tissue. In a deep sense, we really are what we eat! So how do we clear the channels? Yes, you knew this was coming: we clean up our diet. 

Think of a river that has been dammed up for years. The flow of water carries more and more branches and leaves to the dam, and as all this debris accumulates, the water becomes stagnant and stops flowing. Our own inner dam is probably an accumulation of many things: old thoughts patterns and negative beliefs, food choices, overwork, stress and neglect. How can we expect ourselves to tap into the flow of creative energy when all this stuff is blocking our channel?! 

The fact that we can begin to change all of this with our diet is both the good news and the bad news. It’s bad news if you don’t want to believe that some of your unhealthy eating habits could actually be affecting your life in more ways than you think. But it’s really really good news to think that by doing something as simple as changing what you put into your mouth, you could become more connected to your inherent creativity. You might not actually need to process all the ways your creativity was discouraged as a child, or force yourself to write pages and pages every day until something good finally comes out. Just by bringing more awareness to your body and feeding yourself in a loving way, you will naturally begin to clear out this dam. The river that rushes forth will carry the expression of your unique creative voice. How beautiful is that? 

As we move into the season of spring, it is a great time to do some cleansing of our physical and energetic channels. We want to clear out the heavy, cold, wet qualities that have accumulated through the winter and early spring, and prepare our bodies for the beautiful growth and abundance that comes with summer. The beginning of May marks the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, and in many cultures this time is marked by a celebration of fertility and new life. It is a time to plant seeds, both literally and metaphorically. Before you can plant new seeds though, you need to clear those channels! 

There are many methods of cleansing in Ayurveda, but here are a few simple things you can try to start clearing stagnation and restoring your natural flow:

1. Try a kitchari cleanse. A simple cleanse that is beneficial for almost anyone is eating a mono-diet of kitchari for anywhere from 1-7 days. Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic dish made from white basmati rice and split mung beans, with soft cooked vegetables and fragrant Indian spices. It’s easy on the digestive system, and the mung beans have a unique property of clearing toxins from the body. This is not your average juice cleanse! I love this Ayurvedic “comfort food,” and look forward to my cleanses twice a year (in the spring and the fall). The best time to do your spring cleanse is when the weather has started to turn a bit warmer, the days are growing longer and the nights are staying above freezing temperatures. May is the perfect time for much of the western hemisphere! After doing kitchari cleanses on my own for years, I started to notice an interesting side effect. Not only did my body feel lighter and more energized afterwards, but I found myself getting an overflow of creative ideas during the cleanse. I was scribbling in notebooks, returning to old hobbies with renewed enthusiasm, and connecting to a clear vision for what I wanted to create. This is why when I do a cleanse, I also make sure I am taking time off from work or social obligations and giving myself time to tune in to my inner inspiration. Want to try your own kitchari cleanse at home? Click here to download a free resource guide for cleansing, including my favorite kitchari recipe.

2. Drink triphala tea. Triphala is one of the most commonly prescribed Ayurvedic herbs, since it is considered balancing and safe for all body types. Whenever I am experiencing constipation, I have great success with triphala! It is a wonderful herb to support the detoxification and cleansing process. I typically take it before bed: mix ½ – 1 teaspoon in warm water. Beware: it tastes strong at first, but your body quickly gets used to it! I actually like the taste now. You can find a good source of triphala from Banyan Botanicals. Again, seek out an ayurvedic practitioner or coach if you have any questions or concerns about working with herbs!

3. Support your liver with good meal habits. The liver is responsible for so many functions in the body, including regulating hormones and cleansing the blood. After we have cleared up digestion, the liver is the second thing we focus on in Ayurveda! You can support your liver by eating your biggest meal at midday, when your digestion is at its peak. Then, try to eat a lighter dinner several hours before going to sleep. Avoid late night snacking – especially sugar and alcohol! This will give your liver a chance to do the work of restoring your body while you sleep, instead of trying to process out more junk. I know it can be hard to switch to eating lighter dinners, but I promise your body will get used to it! 

4. Greens, greens, greens! Especially in spring and summer, we want to focus on filling our plates with green vegetables. This is another way to love your liver and clear your blood! Think about having a green juice in the morning, a big salad or steamed kale bowl for lunch, and a vegetable soup with chard, zucchini or spinach for dinner. 

5. Notice the first burp. The single most powerful thing that I’ve learned from Ayurveda is to pay attention to my burp when I’m eating. It is our body’s way of telling us that we are full! If you don’t think you burp, or have never noticed, try eating slower, chewing well, and taking time between bites. Tune in to the subtle burp that happens as your stomach starts to fill. The hard part is actually putting down your fork once it happens! But when we eat only what our body really needs at each meal, stagnation quickly starts to clear. When I learned this simple practice, it was seriously life changing!

What I love about Ayurveda is that there is all this beautifully complex theory to dive into, and yet the remedies for any ailment come back to simple self-care practices. If you can begin to make small tweaks in what you eat, or even better, bring more awareness to how you eat and how it feels in your body, it will start to bring about much bigger shifts in your life. Increased energy and focus are side effects you may notice, that will definitely aid you in your creative work!

But I believe there is something else going on that is harder to put into words. When we do these cleansing practices, there is a spiritual or energetic clearing that starts to happen as well. As the river of our creativity begins to flow, we see new landscapes within ourselves, new shores to embark on, wide open spaces to spread our wings. It is my personal goal to work towards keeping this space within me clear–to keep the channel open. What will come forth is always a mystery, and the great joy of life. 

I hope you have begun to get an inkling of the way our health and creativity are linked, and to see how some simple Ayurvedic practices can move you towards a state of creative flow. In the upcoming weeks I’ll be posting about how we can channel that creative energy once we have unblocked it. What will be the seeds you will plant? How can understanding fundamental Ayurvedic principles give us insight into our personal creative process? This is what I want to explore with you!

Have you noticed any links between health and creativity in your own life? If you try these practices, let me know what comes up! I am always in awe of the way small actions can make big changes.