The first full day of Unbound Book Festival events began bright and early on Saturday morning in the lower level of The Broadway Hotel in downtown Columbia. Tucked away in the back of one of the hotel’s ballrooms was instructor Cindy Calvin’s Poetry and Flow class. This group of people gathered at 8:30 a.m. to stretch both their bodies and their minds, trusting Calvin to lead them through an hour of vulnerability and introspection.
Calvin is a Columbia native and registered yoga teacher who studied journalism at the University of Missouri. At the start of class, Calvin described herself as a marketing and brand manager by day, a yoga instructor and poet by night and a mother always.
This relatable introduction led smoothly into the theme of the session, an integral aspect of all of her Poetry and Flow classes. On this particular day, Calvin encouraged participants to consider the value of writing about meaning in the ordinary — which she aimed to show was easier than most people think.
In combining writing and poetry, Calvin said she has accessed a level of mental fortitude and self-awareness that she wants to lead others to, as well.
“When I really started thinking about [writing and yoga], they’re really beautiful practices that complement each other,” Calvin said. “They are practices of nuance. They’re practices of presence. They’re practices that help you come more into a relationship with life around you.”
Poetry and Flow was divided into two parts. The first 30 minutes of the class consisted of a traditional Vinyasa practice, a popular type of yoga in which movement is guided by one’s breathing. The last half was a guided writing session and voluntary discussion. Calvin provided prompts and inspiration by reading aloud the work of several poets featured at Unbound.
The yoga practice was relatively simple and accessible, mostly consisting of beginner-friendly poses such as the downward-facing dog, child’s pose, forward fold and mountain pose. Calvin provided modifications for any poses that required a more intense stretch or contortion of the body and was successful in creating an accepting and judgment-free environment — an essential part of a fulfilling yoga practice.
While this particular Poetry and Flow marked Calvin’s first time participating in the Unbound Book Festival, she has been teaching yoga classes in the Columbia area and online for several years.
“I mean, honestly, a lot of people come [to yoga] for stress management, potentially, right?” Calvin said. “Or they come for more physical things, and then they get some of the more spiritual mind-body-soul connection, right?”
Themes of accessibility continued to anchor the rest of Poetry and Flow as the class moved into a brief meditation before writing and discussion. Calvin explained to the group that writing may seem intimidating to some because of the misconception that “good” writing must contain philosophically profound ideas and must impact a large audience. She maintained that writing is an approachable practice that anyone can do.
Calvin explained that her writing is often inspired by the ordinary, everyday aspects of her life, like an old but sentimental houseplant or the color of her child’s eyes. In this way, writing has naturally intertwined itself with yoga in her life — cathartic, grounding and humbling.
“As human beings, we are creative by just being, you know? And so we all have that ability,” Calvin said. “And, you know, you don’t have to have training to write, you know? Because it doesn’t have to be anything that anyone ever sees.”
After reading some examples of poetry by Unbound featured authors that she felt embodied this concept, Calvin provided a few prompts for the group to make putting pen to paper less intimidating.
A few of the standouts from Calvin’s ideas seemed to be thinking of an object that has survived a move from one place to another, pondering how that object’s meaning might have changed in different locations and thinking of an object that brings joy and imagining a personality and emotions for it.
A palpable sense of hesitation and raw emotion filled the air as silence settled over the group and the only sounds were the occasional sniffle or scratch of pen against paper — oh, and the slightly distracting, bangs, clangs and voices one could associate with the set-up of the 10 a.m. author panel that was happening 30 minutes after Poetry and Flow in the same room.
To no fault of Calvin’s, the general ambiance of Poetry and Flow was occasionally disrupted by the sounds of Unbound volunteers preparing the space both inside and outside of the ballroom for the stacked schedule of the day. The Broadway Hotel hosted several of the larger, open-forum-style events for the festival, which were facilitated by lots of volunteers. They included tables for authors to sell and promote their books, a Q&A or talk as well as a stand for Unbound to sell their merchandise and souvenirs.
Calvin herself did an incredible job remaining focused on the class and guiding participants’ attention away from the nearby distractions — microphone sound checks, the unpacking of boxes, people walking around the group while in active meditation and the opening and closing of heavy metal doors.
Additionally, neither the event information nor the festival FAQ sections on the Unbound website mentioned that interested participants would need to bring their own yoga mat and that registration for the event was not needed. These crucial tips were only available on Unbound’s official Instagram page just one day prior to Poetry and Flow, which could have possibly been a factor in the session’s relatively low attendance.
Technical difficulties aside, Poetry and Flow was an enlightening, refreshing experience that Calvin instructed with grace and an obvious love for yoga and the Columbia community. She expertly combined poetry and yoga into a beginner-friendly, age-accessible practice that was a perfect way to begin a day of enjoying the weekend’s festivities.
“And I hope that [the class], you know, just spark[ed] that interest in people. And anyone can do yoga,” Calvin said. “That also can be something that happens just at home, you know, in the quiet comfort of your own space. But then it might expand and start connecting you in other ways to life.”
Edited by Ava McCluer | amccluer@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com
