• Bio

Lance Griffin

Lance’s passion for yoga sparked at age thirteen, in response to chronic depression. A love for personal fitness and a thirst for spiritual truth found their synthesis on the mat, where he discovered physical and mental well-being. He continued to explore the tradition under various teachers and trainings for the following ten years. Currently, Lance teaches and writes regularly in addition to pursuing a doctoral degree in exercise science. His scientific focus is on the benefit of yoga for athletes both physically and psychologically.

I’ve always been a creative type. Whether it’s drawing, theater,
or writing, people will often tell me, “Wow, you’re so creative. I wish I was
like that. I don’t have an artistic bone in my body!” I’ll usually just keep
quiet, but what I really want to do is shake them and say “Wake up!”

                The
truth is, the average person is very creative. We draft up dozens of excuses a
day- some of them short stories, others 600 page novels. When it comes to what
we can’t do, we are Da Vinci with a paint brush, going into incredible detail
to paint the picture of our life. When life presents us with a challenge,
however, usually we will step up and devise a creative solution to the issue.

                I
invite you to allocate your creative orange juice to other uses aside from
watering the weeds. As children, our life is a little art project- we make
believe, paint with our fingers, play with our food. You’re spirit never
changed; all that changed was your thinking. Instead of a blank canvas, life
became a to-do list.

                I have
a few suggestions if you are thinking, “This all sounds nice, but it’s not very
practical!”

1. Sit in front of blank piece of paper. Set a
timer for ten minutes if you need to. Put something on it.

2. Write down three adventurous or recreational
activities that you’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time. Circle the
one that sounds most exciting. Give yourself two weeks to make it happen. A few
of mine are learning salsa dance and a martial art.

3. Put on your favorite music. Lock the door. Blast the volume and dance. Actually, forget the word dance. Just
move- let every part of your body move in whatever way it wants.

After this, you’re ready for your first art gallery! Well,
perhaps not literally. However, your life is an art gallery. Fill the walls
with beauty, color, and life. Then you are an artist, a creative genius who
inspires those around her and lives with purpose.