Tuesday, June 8, 2010

A Peek Inside Om Gal's Head[quarters]

Blogs, by nature, can often run the risk of being self-indulgent and insipid. Each time I sit down to write, this reality chirps at me relentlessly. It implores me to spare you the mundane details of my life, such as what I ate for breakfast, how funny my best friend is (everyone thinks their best friend is funny), and the latest evidence that my family is crazy, albeit charmingly so.

This morning, I had plain Greek yogurt, berries, Grape-Nuts, and a drizzle of agave syrup. Last month, my best friend sternly told me to stop wasting my time on "nonsense." She was referring to my day job. My family recently adopted five chickens, which means my parents' bid to alleviate Empty Nest Syndrome included, first, a dog and now, chickens. They are literally filling the empty nest with chickens . . . Poetic, isn't it?

So I pour every iota of my yoga acumen into "serious" posts created solely for the purpose of solving some deep, existential yoga dilemma such as How Promiscuous Yoga Teachers Can Avoid Shagging Their Students, until someone comes up to me after yoga class or at the gym (or in line at McDonald's-- kidding) to say that he/she loved the post about the family dog hunting a mouse for hours or the one about how overstuffed my closet is with yoga clothes. One reader even emailed to see if I would mind if she included the family dog post in a book she was compiling about pets and their owners, to benefit an animal rights organization.

In other words: I think I know my readers (that's you) and how not to bore you, presumably by doing things like cataloguing my personal inventory of yoga pants, and then, every so often, I eat crow. "Tastes like chicken." (No offense, Mom and Dad). The challenge, therefore, becomes sharing personal information without oversharing or, perhaps, oversharing, as long as it is relevant, funny, or inspiring. Ideally, it would be relevant, funny, and inspiring.

Speaking of which, here I am, earlier today, at Om Gal Headquarters (OGHQ as Erin the Intern and I are fond of saying), seeking inspiration as I often do-- on the floor, in a position vaguely resembling a yoga pose, with a giant piece of paper, Sharpie pen, cup of tea, and my trusty laptop perched nearby . . .

As for the critical voices of reality imploring me to come up with killer yoga and wellness content that's neither self-indulgent nor insipid . . . They're perched there too. Fortunately, you can't see them.

4 comments:

Bruce said...

I read your blog (via RSS), and occasionally I forward some of your posts to my teenage daughter..

You have great branding potential. To take it up to the next level, consider moving everything out of Blogger to WordPress or SquareSpace (easy to deal with). You should consider building your brand around your own URL (not a Blogger URL).

Om Gal said...

Thank you, Bruce! As always, reader feedback is hugely appreciated. You've read my mind in terms of developing the blog further. The site is currently undergoing a redesign (likely to launch on Wordpress in July). Also, thank you for sharing OmGal.com with your teenage daughter. I will try to keep the expletives to a minimum;-) Best to you.

Jen said...

I'm not sure I like the concept of yoga as a brand (or teaching, being into yoga, a healthy lifestyle etc which is what I like about this site). If I thought this site was about comercialism, selling products I would move on to a more genuine site that follows the principles that yoga tries to incorporate in the practice. Thanks!

Om Gal said...

I hear you, sister. Loud & clear. The impetus for starting the blog more than 2 years ago was, indeed, seeing a need for (and having a desire to create) authentic, informed, relevant, & fun yoga content. My goal will always remain as such, and OmGal.com will reflect that. I do think the site could improve and evolve, particularly from a tech perspective, as that is not my strength (hence the comments about moving to a different platform). These improvements would help to better organize the site and provide more resources for readers. Thank you so much for sharing your honest input. I bow to you, big time. Much respect, R