Mary Beth LaRue’s 10 Favorite Places to Find Creative Inspiration

Los Angeles-based yoga teacher, life design coach and writer Mary Beth LaRue has created the life of her dreams—but she had to overcome her fair share of fear and self-doubt to get there. Steal her secrets to inspired sequencing and a creative life in our upcoming Yoga for Creativity online course. (Sign up now.)

The idea for a peak pose for your next class, a new color for your bedroom walls, or a topic for your next blog post may come from where you least expect it. Here, Mary Beth shares some of her favorite ways to get inspired.

1. Go iPhone-free.

I make a habit of spending the first hour of my morning sans cell phone. Instead, I make tea, cuddle my family, move my body, breathe, and set intentions for day. It’s a great time to allow the ideas to flow.

2. Take a new yoga class.

Being a student keeps you inspired as a teacher! I’m constantly taking new yoga classes all over Los Angeles and other cities when I travel.

3. Read my favorite spiritual books.

I always find something in my favorite spiritual books that speaks to me in a new way, based on where I’m at in that moment. Right now, I’m diving into Donna Farhi’s Bringing Yoga to Life and Byron Katie’s Love What Is for the billionth time.

4. Get moving.

Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from yoga—a pilates or barre class can be energizing and spark an idea for a new warm-up or core-strengthening exercise.

See also Mary Beth LaRue on Finding Creativity + Making Shift Happen

5. Make a date with nature.

Spending time hiking or at the ocean in Venice Beach, where I live, always calms my mind and gets the ideas flowing.

6. Explore new music.

The “Discover Weekly” playlist on Spotify is one of my favorite ways to find new tunes to play in class or at home.

7. Sit down and write (with your hand).

Some of my best ideas come from journaling and designing my yoga classes in a Moleskine notebook.

8. Try vision boarding.

I love playing with images and using Pinterest to create vision boards.

9. Take a road trip.

Seeing our beautiful country from behind the wheel always excites me.

10. Learn to cook new foods.

Cooking and eating are two of my favorite things to do! My husband is an amazing chef and I’m always learning from him in the kitchen.