This Easter I’m leading a Mindful Writing Retreat in The Glass House Mountains, just north of Brisbane. What is mindful writing you may well ask? How does it differ from regular writing? Is it like those moments when you are really in the zone with your writing, when time passes without you realising it, when you are so engrossed that you forget you are even writing?
I would say yes, I would call that mindful writing — being completely present in the flow and process of your work. But how often does that happen and what do you do when you find it hard to get ‘in the zone’ — when all the distractions of daily life and our avoidance tendencies get in the way? This is when mindful techniques can be really helpful. If we apply the Oxford dictionary term of mindfulness ” a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations… ” to our writing practice, there are some simple things we can do.
When you sit down to write, take some time to sit in stillness for a moment or two. Concentrate in a relaxed way on your breath, you might even use the words from the wonderful monk, Thich Nhat Hanh: ‘breathing in, I am breathing in, breathing out I am alive.’ Or ‘breathing in, I am breathing in, breathing out, I am home.’ (Find more here and in his book Peace Is Every Step). Now one by one become aware of the senses. Open to the sense of sound, mentally list all the sounds you can hear inside and outside the room. Next, open to the sense of smell, mentally list any scent, perfume, aroma, you can pick up. Now think about the sense of touch, how your body feels sitting on your chair, how your clothes feel on your body, any textures you notice around you. Now bring in your sense of sight and in a small radius around you take note of all the visuals, add in the taste or atmosphere of the day, take note of the weather. You can be jotting these down as well, if you like, using it as a warm up exercise. Now allowing your eyes to fall on a particular object pick up your pen and begin to describe it in detail. Write for about ten minutess without stopping. If your mind wanders to other thoughts you can that’s fine but bring it back to the object again at the end.
Put the exercise aside and get on with the task at hand. I think you’ll find it will be easier to get in the flow if you have practiced being present in this way. If later on you lose the flow, try sitting in stillness again, activating the senses to observe what’s going on around you for a moment or two and then get back to your writing.
I like to have a book of haiku poetry nearby. Often if I am stuck just reading a a few lines from one of tge old masters, Basho, Issa or Shiki, help bring me back into the moment.
If you want to combine haiku, mindful writing and walking join us in Japan next year. See below.
Happy Wriiting!
Want to join our writing community?
Draftbusters Online ongoing.
Mentoring packages to suit your needs.
Sensing Italy June 3 -10, 2023.
Lake George Spring Retreat, Sep 17 – 22, 2023.
Story Hunters, India, Nov 4-19, 2023.
Moroccan Caravan, Feb/ March, 2024.
