I picked up a copy of The Artist’s Way this morning. I read it once a few years ago, and some of it spoke to me, while some didn’t. I’m curious to see how things go as I re-read it this time around. While in general I am not one for re-reading books (excepting a very select few), I think that this is definitely one of the ones that will be worth revisiting now and again, much like the Yoga Sutras.
We All Need Reminders Sometimes
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes find myself making choices that aren’t always aligned with the path that I want to take. Not because the path I am on isn’t right for me, but because I am human. This is why things like continuing our yoga practice and study are so important. We can’t possibly remember everything, so we refresh our memory through doing again, reading again, and experiencing again.
This repetition is what creates habits and behaviors that do lead us in the direction we want to go. I’ve talked about consistency vs commitment in the past (here and here), and to build anything that we truly value, we need to stay firm in that commitment to ourselves. Reminding ourselves of why we are doing something refreshes that commitment.
True Understanding Comes Through Repetition
In case you haven’t read this elsewhere on The Cozy Yogi, I have a Master’s degree in Physics. I didn’t get to that by studying Newton’s laws or any of the other theories just once. In fact, I studied each of them at least three different times (probably more) in classes alone.
The more I practiced applying the concepts I learned at each level of study, the deeper and more fundamental my understanding of each idea became. It’s the same with your yoga practice and study, as well as your creative practice. The more you come back to an idea, the easier it is to apply in your life.