An Ode to Virginia Woolf

It’s been quite a few days since my last entry – reason?

Writer’s block.

Okay, so, no, I guess I am not a writer in the most professional sense of the word. I am certainly not being paid to write “Made in India.” And I’m not even sure how many people will even read this, but nonetheless…for days, I have had no thoughts to share.

Lately I’ve been reading Virgina Woolf’s classic Mrs. Dalloway. Woolf writes in the stream of consciousness – a style I find difficult. There is not a strong connection between one thought and the next. Of course, this is how the human mind works – we jump from one fantasy to an unrelated memory in the same breath, but to encounter such form in literature is trying for me.

To combat my writer’s block, I will attempt to overthrow my need for structure and simply record whatever thoughts pop into my head – an Ode to Virginia Woolf as it were.

When you stop to mull it over, the concept of writer’s block becomes quite an interesting. The idea that there is something or someone literally preventing creative thoughts and energy from flowing from our brains into another form is rather troublesome.

Writer’s block could apply to any area of life really – we all suffer from mental obstructions of one kind or another. Connecting back to a previous entry, my lackluster dating life of late has far more to do with the barricade I have constructed in my head than it does with an external force.

I do not go on dates, because internally, I perceive myself to be unattractive, unintelligent and unworthy of attention. It is only this fear that keeps me from speaking to the ridiculously hott boy who’s been coming to my yoga studio recently. He may very well be just as attracted to me, but the negative energy in my head is so powerful, it has created a damn that prevents me from simply smiling at him and saying hello.

In yoga, we move through asanas or poses to clear and prepare the mind and body for meditation. In essence, yoga is designed to eliminate these emotional barriers that hinder all aspects of our lives. If only it were as simple as moving through five sun salutations a day to break through the clutter in our heads.

The human mind is complex, and so are the roadblocks we build in them. As such, there is more to the cure for mental blocks than just a chattarunga push-up.

But what is the solution? Two hours of yoga a day? A walk through the park in the sun? People watching in Union Square?

Perhaps our mental blocks are necessary evils? Voices buried deep in our consciousness that challenge us to work and think harder; strive for loftier goals. I honestly do not know.

I’ll leave with my dear friend Lisa’s word of the day…SCHMUCK or SHMUCK – completely unrelated to today’s entry; but hey, that’s stream of consciousness for you.

Until next we meet, om, chanti, chanti, chanti, namaste.