When The Creative Faucet Turned On

“Somewhere along the way I had claimed training as my identity. I craved it, even if it was destroying my body. The full day of yoga was the dessert that satisfied my sweet tooth while keeping the dentist at bay. If weights were no longer part of my diet, perhaps I could indulge in extra helpings of yoga.”

I didn’t intend to write An Accidental Awakening. It was an accident.

A spinal injury forced me from my career as a personal trainer. It forced me from a lot of things: running, weight-lifting, ice skating, lifting my daughter from her crib or the groceries from the trunk, sneezing. Life changed.

My chiropractor at the time advised me that swimming and yoga were my only options for safe, pain-free exercise. As life would have it, my best friend suddenly invited me to join a year in yoga with her. I dove into the deep end.

A competitive athlete from the age of 12 and a personal trainer by 26, I thought the regularly-scheduled yoga gatherings would scratch my constant itch for exercise, in a way that would keep me from doing further damage to my sensitive spine. As an exhausted mother of two children under age five, I welcomed the days away and the reprieve from daily Mom duty.

I got more than I bargained for; our year was not a series of yoga asana classes. It was organized by the chakras, of which I had little knowledge. Qigong, fire ceremonies, walking on hot coals, and poi spinning filled our days. I was in over my head.

One thing about us athletes, though, we commit. I showed up for every chant, rant, dancer’s pose, black bean, gluten-free, dairy-free brownie, and prayer tie. Things began to change. Over the course of the year, I began to change.

Sometime during fifth chakra, I began writing and I didn’t stop. The months of practice and self-inquiry had nudged open the creative faucet. The writing wasn’t great, but it felt great and words poured from my pen.

“Keep up and you will be kept up.” The quote by Yogi Bhajan was one of the many that crossed my yoga mat that year. It inspired my daily practice and, within months, a complete story graced the pages of my journal.

That first draft was exactly as first drafts should be: rough. I had no shortage of inspiration. What I lacked was craft. My first editor (how silly I was to think I was ready for editing, having written my rough draft), handed me a list of words I was no longer permitted to use. Beautiful was at the top. Apparently, after a year in yoga, everything was beautiful. That was my first lesson: word choice.

I was an adept and eager student and I picked up on the feedback from manuscript critiques, workshops and eventually beta readers. Over 10 years, I honed my craft. I learned enough to move through many revisions, each one stronger than the previous.

And then something wonderful happened. I realized I would publish my story, and suddenly froze with fear. It’s memoir. People will judge me. ME. Not just the writing. It’s a double whammy: I’m both writer and subject. What if the story is good but the writing sucks? My bad. What if the writing’s good but the story sucks. Still on me. What if both suck.

So I decided to dip a toe in the world of publishing in an effort to thicken my tender skin. I chose a sweet short story I had written one day on a walk ‑ one of many stories that soaked the pages of my journals ‑  and began the process of publishing a children’s book. I had no idea how in love I would fall with writing for children. That one book turned into a series of five. Then two additional children’s books made their way through me and into the world. The creative tap was wide open.

Finally ready to move ahead with publishing my memoir, I feel strong. My skin is a little thicker, but more so I am fortified by the knowledge, experience, and support I amassed along my children’s book journey. Mom and personal trainer became writer.

I have editors, I have book cover designers, I have printing contacts and distribution channels, and I have readers. Most importantly, I have gratitude: for the people who supported my craft, for my year in yoga and the practices that led me to writing, and even to the spinal injury that pushed me to practice.

Like my twisted spine, life may eventually push me from my path and in a new direction. For now, I have years’ worth of creativity to disperse into the world. And the inspiration to keep up.

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About An Accidental Awakening

She lost her career to a spinal injury. She lost herself to motherhood. Then Stephanie’s best friend invited her to join a year in yoga, which turned out to be more than she bargained for. An Accidental Awakening is yoga off the mat and into life as she is thrown into qigong in the snow, fire ceremonies on her lawn, walking on hot coals, tapping her sixth sense, chanting, ranting and crying – all while making meals and tucking kids into bed in-between. Using the chakras as a roadmap and yoga, her vehicle, Stephanie takes readers on a year-long adventure down an ancient path toward healing.

Told in a style that the New York Times describes as “self-help memoir,” An Accidental Awakening offers readers the tools and inspiration they need to transform their lives: to find family in yoga and yoga in family.

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About Stephanie Hrehirchuk

Known to raid her grandparents’ garden as a child, Stephanie has a life-long love of local food and vibrant nutrition. She has over 15 years of experience in personal training, nutrition, and wellness, with an additional 10 years in yoga, meditation and complementary therapies. Stephanie is the author of Anna and the Earth Angel, Anna and the Tree Fort, Anna and the Food Forest, and Nourish: Ayurveda-inspired 21-day Detox. She was a regular contributor at Gaiam, with articles published at Sivana Spirit, Finer Minds, and Elephant Journal. Stephanie donates 10% of the profits of Nourish to Fuel for School, a Calgary Board of Education initiative to feed hungry elementary school students so they can focus on learning. Stephanie has a tree planted for every print copy sold of her Anna series of children’s books.

Stephanie’s website: https://stephaniehrehirchuk.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieHrehirchukAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StephanieHrehir

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stephaniehrehirchuk/

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips