Mindful Writing
Welcome to my monthly newsletter, ATTUNEMENT!
Each month we “tune into” a theme related to mindfulness
and explore a creative practice and tune based on this theme!
This month of April we’re TUNING INTO the frequency of:
MINDFUL WRITING.
Image by Jan Kahánek
I think what sets MINDFUL WRITING apart from regular writing is a quality of acknowledging and tuning in to our inner world, then allowing this inner world to speak on the page without knowing what the meaning/outcome will be.
MINDFUL WRITING is sometimes called expressive writing, because the practice is simply to express our thoughts and feelings, and to do so with curiosity and without judgement. Then, after a period of MINDFUL WRITING, we can reflect on what we wrote and decide what it means to us and if/how we'd like to respond to what we've written.
I love the step-by-step process this Medium article lays out for engaging in a MINDFUL WRITING practice:
Create a zen writing space, free of distractions (if possible!)
Take a moment to pause and breathe mindfully before writing
For a period of time, write whatever comes out, allowing your thoughts and emotions free reign, without regard for grammar and punctuation
Practice non-judgment (just write to create, not for a polished "final product")
After this period of expressive writing, reflect on the experience (without criticism, but with acknowledgement and appreciation) and observe any insights that might arise
Caren Osten Gerszberg of Calm says this about the practice of mindful writing:
Mindful writing serves as both an emotional outlet and a chance to gain understanding about the stories we carry. Studies conducted over recent decades find that writing can offer a number of emotional and psychological benefits, such as improved mood, less anxiety, reduced blood pressure, and overall greater well-being. It can also improve sleep, increase self-confidence, and strengthen your immune system.
Without the need to focus on restrictions like spelling, grammar, and punctuation, a mindful writing practice offers an invitation to describe experiences, understand thoughts, work through emotions, expand your perspective, discover meaning, and possibly, notice what approaches may or may not be working. Sometimes, through writing about even the most stressful and negative experience, we can uncover another way to relate it that we hadn’t considered before.
Image by Daisy Zimmer
Songwriting is a MINDFUL WRITING process for me.
First I tune in to my inner world, I acknowledge the thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensory experiences that are present in the moment, and then I use that information as fodder for songs.
I usually don't go into a songwriting session knowing what type of song I'm going to write; rather, the song (or at least a fragment of it) emerges organically from this practice of mindfully tuning in and expressively writing.
From the beginning, my songwriting was from writing in a journal; it was completely unfiltered. I don't know if I really meant to show everyone this side of me, but when I saw how people resonated to the things I was saying, some of the questions I was asking, I realized I was not alone.
-Tyler Joseph
The songs that emerge from a MINDFUL WRITING process can be very personal, and also vulnerable to share. But the personal is often universal, and each time I've shared what I consider to be a very personal song, someone has told me they've resonated with it because they too can relate to that experience.
I think songs, poems, and other forms of mindful expressive writing
can be hugely connective.
One beautiful example of this is the Indigo Girls' song "Virginia Woolf", which singer Emily Saliers wrote after reading writer Virginia Woolf's diaries. She felt like Woolf was speaking to her directly because she could so relate Woolf's thoughts and feelings about life. This relatability was incredibly connective and reassuring for her, so much so that she felt inspired to write a song about it!
They published your diary
And that's how I got to know you
The key to the room of your own and a mind without end
And here's a young girl
On a kind of a telephone line through time
And the voice at the other end comes like a long lost friend
So I know I'm all right
Life will come and life will go
Still I feel it's all right
Cause I just got a letter to my soul
I'm excited to share some of my original songs with you at my acoustic concert and sound bath on Friday April 12 at 7pm at First Unitarian Universalist Church in Clintonville. If you're in Columbus that evening, I hope to see you there!
Creative Mindfulness Practice:
Morning Pages
"Morning Pages" is a mindful expressive writing practice coined by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist's Way. Here's her description of this practice:
Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages– they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.
➡️ Try it! Grab a journal and start this practice every morning. Or just try it out once--you don't even have to do it in the morning! The point is just to do it. Cameron encourages people not to immediately read what they wrote in their Morning Pages, but to allow some time to pass before reading and reflecting on what was written. You may choose never to read what you wrote; you could even burn your pages after writing! Just experiment with what feels right to you, and see what comes of engaging in this practice for a month.
Upcoming Events:
Concert of Originals Songs and Sound Bath - Friday, April 12, 7:00 p.m.
Join me for an intimate acoustic concert of original songs, including a sound bath! I'll be performing tunes from my 2020 album Shine, and my 2022 EP Driftwood, as well as some unreleased material. Mark your calendar, and bring a friend!
When: Friday 4/12, 7pm
First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W Weisheimer Rd, Columbus, OH 43214Investment: Free and donations gratefully accepted
Guided Forest Bathing - Saturday, April 27, 9:00-10:30 a.m.
Shinrin-yoku (translated as “bathing in the air of the forest”) is a Japanese practice which guides you to mindfully immerse yourself in nature. Benefits can include improved physical and mental health. The practice focuses on cultivating a sense of reciprocity between you and the forest.
I'll facilitate a sequence of invitations that allow you to enjoy both structure and spontaneity in your experience. We end with a sharing circle and tea ceremony.
When: Sat. 4/27, 9-10:30am
Smith Nature Park, 1270 Fishinger Road, Upper Arlington, OH, 43221Investment: $20 (UA residents)/ $24 (non-residents)
Creative Ways Into Wellness (Overnight Retreat) - Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5
Unplug, relax, restore, and create! Spend a mindful day, overnight, and morning at lovely Hueston Woods Lodge in College Corner, OH, home to Hueston Woods State Park (and just a few miles from Miami University, my alma mater!). Only 6 spots remaining!!
Sat. 5/4, 9:30am - Sun. 5/5, 12pm
Hueston Woods Lodge, 5201 Lodge Rd, College Corner, OH 45003Your retreat registration includes:
A welcome gift bag and journal when you arrive
Lunch and dinner Saturday; breakfast Sunday
Private room with 2 queen beds and lake-view balcony
Two SoulCollage® workshops and all materials
A guided Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) experience
Two relaxing crystal singing bowl sound baths
Guided meditations and facilitated soul-nourishing conversations
Time for self-care activities of your choosing
Investment: $497
P.S. I offer 1:1 mindfulness coaching, which can sometimes be reimbursed by your company's Lifestyle Spending Account (Ohio State University employees--it's reimbursed for you!).
To learn more/schedule a session, send me an email at katy@katyoberlecreative.com
