Wherein my guest, a yoga instructor and writer, answers three questions and shares one (sometimes more than one) pose that yogis and writers will find informative, intriguing, and entertaining.
Question 1
Which came first, your yoga or your writing?
Writing came first. My neighbor and I decided that we were going to write a book together. I was six years old. I remember sitting at my desk and having this amazing feeling of all that I could create. My friend and I never wrote that book together, but I kept writing bits and pieces on my own. Throughout my elementary and high school years, I loved to read and dreamed about writing but I never had the confidence in myself. Life was very tumultuous, so I never had time to focus on what I wanted to be and if I could accomplish anything. I went to college and I was lucky enough to have a professor that really encouraged my creative writing. I decided that I was going to follow that path, but was strongly discourage because it was not practical. Many others tried to tell me that the two professors that believed in my writing were only flirting with me. Others wanted me to believe that I did not have any skill. I eventually got beaten down and threw away the “pipe dream” by the time I was nineteen. But secretly, I kept that dream alive and was first published at 47!
Yoga came into my life in my early thirties. I was a mom of two little boys, at the time. I was searching for a way to get in shape and also find some peace during the fun but stressful days of being a mom. I was able to reconnect with myself through yoga. I had always been so action oriented that I had forgotten about my inner self. Yoga helped me get there. I began my yoga teacher training and finished my 200 hour program while pregnant with my daughter.
In time, I learned all about yoga in its many different forms. I came into a gratitude practice and was one hundred percent sure that I was going to have my little darlings turn into gratitude warriors. However, it was not as simple as that. I felt like I was giving them a homework assignment every time I asked them to write something they were grateful for. My kids would look around their rooms, begrudgingly, and say the first thing they saw. I’m grateful for my desk, my pencil, air … all of which we should be grateful for, but they were not grasping the true concept. That’s when I came up with the idea of a kids’ guided gratitude journal that incorporated turning around negative thoughts, goal building, talking about feelings and much more. It contains so many tools that we hope to teach our kids about self-empowerment. This was my first book that was traditionally published. It came out in January of 2020.
Around the same time that I had the idea about the gratitude journal, I had gone to a yoga workshop and reluctantly bought a chakra crystal set. I had never bought crystals before and was hesitant to make the purchase, but I was so drawn to this set that I couldn’t walk away. I went home thinking I was crazy for spending so much money on some rocks. I almost returned them but listened to my intuition and kept them. The next day, I was gazing at the crystals, and I got the idea for a ya fantasy series based on each chakra. Each book takes place at an earth chakra location and a young girl gets initiated as The Sentinel of the Chakra Stones. The first book takes place at Mount Shasta, California. The primary character, with her friends, work through the first chakra in the City of Telos, which was built under Mount Shasta by the Lemurians. These stories are about adventure, fantasy, myths, and legends while incorporating yoga topics such as meditation, self-empowerment, chakras, crystals, and inner strength.
I’m currently working on the second book in this series that takes place in Machu Picchu, Peru and Lake Titicaca. This is the location of the 2nd earth chakra and there are more adventures to be had.
Question 2
Are you primarily Hatha, Bhakti, Karma, or other?
I practice all types of yoga but mainly Hatha and Kundalini.
Question 3
Choose one of the 8 Limbs and tell us how to use it to improve our writing
I’m going to choose two! The first is Pranayama – breath control and prana is vital in life and in our writing. When the mind is scattered, we have self-doubt about our writing, or we are too stressed to think clearly. Simple breathing exercises can get us centered and focused. A few of my favorites are alternate nostril breathing and square breathing. The easiest pranayama is just a nice slow inhale, allowing your breath to fill the belly and a nice long exhale, allowing all of the old air to be expelled. Simple and so effective!
My second is asana. As writers, we can live a very sedentary lifestyle. Getting up and doing a few sun salutations does wonders for your mind, body, spirit, and creativity.
Pose
If you had to limit your practice to a single asana, which one would you choose?
I love Warrior Two! I love opening up my hips, lengthening my arms, feeling the strength in my legs, my feet firmly connected with the mat, and having a hyper-focus with my dristi over my front middle fingertip. It will get you ready for your next adventure.
You never know when an ordinary teenager will blossom into something extraordinary.
Jaden is a fourteen-year-old girl abandoned by her mother, unwanted by her father, and tormented at school. She fills her alone time exploring the streets of her hometown of Nashua, New Hampshire. She discovers a flea market and is drawn to the table of a mysterious lady selling Tibetan singing bowls and crystals. The impulse purchase of a crystal chakra set reveals a mystical destiny.
Jaden and her only friend, Alister, are transported to Mount Shasta, California, which hides the Lemurian City of Telos. It is here, at the first Earth chakra location, where Jaden and Alister become part of a secret world of teenagers and esoteric beings working to protect the Earth chakra energies from the Keeper of Belial.
The first chakra stone is already under attack and losing its power, which jeopardizes the safety and security of the planet. Jaden must fight to restore balance to the world and find the inner strength to fulfill her role as The Sentinel of the Chakra Stones..
About Christine Boucher
Christine Boucher is a writer, yoga instructor, wife, mother to three, and animal lover who lives in New Hampshire. Christine is the new fictional author of the YA series, The Sentinel of the Chakra Stones. Christine first started creating fantasy worlds as a small child at her desk in Indiana and then as a tween in New Hampshire. Sticking to the practical side of the world, she obtained a business degree and masters in accounting. For many years, she secretly continued to write, read, and research with her beloved dog and cat by her side. She is a lover of yoga, water-skiing, the beach, great meals, and watching her kids grow into who they want to become. Christine is the published author of Express Yourself! Joyful Journaling for Kids.
For a free breakdown on how to get published for non-fiction vs. fiction – sign up for my newsletter at https://www.christineboucher.com/
You can chat with Christine at:
Instagram: @christineboucherauthor
TikTok: @christineboucherauthor
Website: christineboucher.com
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