We’re delighted to have writers group member, Tempest Phoenix Smith, write her recent experience on the Creative Writing and Mindfulness Retreat, hosted earlier this year by our very own Sita Brand.
Please read and if you would like to try creative writing and mindfulness, our brand new class starts September 20th from 6.30-7.30pm. Click here for more details
Inviting Creativity with Mindfulness
by Tempest Phoenix Smith
Attending the Mindfulness and Creative Writing retreat helped me learn that as a gardener prepares the ground before planting seeds, practicing mindfulness supports the flow of creativity.
Even five or ten minutes being focusing on my breath helps me set aside thoughts or worries for the time being so that I can focus more on the poem or story that I want to write. It’s like turning the volume down, sometimes, rather than completely banishing distraction.
I liked the course being hybrid because, although I attended online, seeing other students as well as the teacher on screen made me feel like I was in the room and definitely felt included like everyone else.
Sita Brand, writer and practitioner of mindfulness, engaged everyone at the beginning by inviting us to provide an internal weather report of how we were feeling, then sharing our favourite fairy tale. I was shy, to begin with, since everyone there was new to me, but gradually became to feel at home.
She then, in her soothing voice, guided us through a series of physical exercises which I wasn’t expecting. I had thought that mindfulness practice would simply involve sitting still and trying to quiet the mind. Despite the initial reluctance, I found the stretches and movements helped release tension, especially in my shoulders, which I hadn’t realised I was carrying around with me.
Once our bodies were more aligned, Sita invited us to do some breathwork and gently focus on a question: what is my creativity? Rather than write immediately, she encouraged us to let the words roll around in our mind until they adhered into a better pattern.
I wasn’t so sure about this waiting business as I am accustomed to writing as fast as possible to capture the thread of thought before it disappears. However, I went with the instructions and felt the benefit when I came to the point of putting the words on the page.
This is what I wrote (unedited):
Torrent of words
under stormy skies,
or dripping rain from leaves
in an extensive garden
after storm has passed.
We then did another breathing exercise. This time, when we opened our eyes, we were to pretend we had never been in this room before, look around and from a possible three objects, pick one to bring back (if small enough) and write about. I chose a jade plant and wrote (unedited):
Each branch seeks the sun,
determination embodied.
Reaching out eagerly,
though progress is slow,
for Yorkshire sunlight.
Began as a tiny branch
from the mother jade
miles and miles distant
in North Wales.
Dropping leaves,
sometimes planted to give to other friends.
I felt more relaxed as we went along and was pleased at how I was able to make the connection between mindfulness and creative writing. I had previously done both at various times in my life, but not with one leading into and opening out the other. Connecting the two made a lot of sense.
Next, Sita invited everyone to go on a mindful walk. She provided good instructions on how to avoid over thinking. When we returned, we were to write.
I enjoyed the mindful walk thoroughly. Focusing on my senses made the ordinary neighbourhood more interesting, plus it was good to set aside my worries for a while.
The most interesting experience of the walk was when I got home because when I went upstairs and found my tortoiseshell cat waiting for me, and as I stroked her, I felt a stronger sense of homecoming than I have ever felt before. I could see her so vividly, too, not quite as if she was glowing, but like she and the connection between us was much more real.
At lunchtime, a mindful lunch was suggested. As I am used to eating with my mobile in hand, this took effort, but it was well worth it. I found that without texting or watching YouTube, I could taste everything more and enjoy it.
One of the things that Sita suggested was to be thankful for the many people who have brought the food to your table. My reflections became, during our next writing time, a poem about the journey of an apple from seed to being part of my salad.
After lunch, we had a very relaxing session of Yoga Nidra which is intended to fully rest the body without drifting into sleep. I had done a little bit of this before, but found the session very nourishing. I had tears in my eyes at the end and several people asked Sita would she record the sequence for us, which she promised she would do.
During the Yoga Nidra, we were asked to focus on a sankalpa – a sentence that sums up a deep wish which might or might not be about writing. Something to hold and allow to flower within. I am still using mine during mindfulness practice and finding little shifts in what I’m able to do which shows it is taking effect.
Almost everyone on the course didn’t want the retreat to end and several expressed interest in a monthly evening online devoted to creative writing and mindfulness starting later this year.
Personally, I am very grateful for those hours spent with Sita. I don’t always, but I often do some mindfulness before writing, which has even helped me continue a story which I was finding difficult to continue. My daily walks are more mindful than they used to be. I generally feel more positive about my life.
I always take it with a grain of salt if someone says that a book or a course has been life changing, but I know for certain that this retreat improved both my writing and my life as a whole. I highly recommend the retreat to anyone, however far you are on your own creative journey. The benefits of applying mindfulness when in search of creativity is explained in Psychology Today in this way: “. . . one of the greatest obstacles to creativity is distraction.
When distractions intrude, the brain can’t switch from task-positive to default mode, so we end up feeling blocked or creatively stuck. These distractions can come in any number of forms, from our daily to-do lists to ongoing stressors, like interpersonal tension or financial concerns.”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/enlightened-living/201503/mindfulness-and-cultivating-creativity
Since the retreat, I’ve expanded the poem that I wrote after the mindful lunch, so will share it here to give an example of how a simple thing like eating an apple can open out into creative reflection.
Journey of an Apple (by Tempest Phoenix Smith)
From the mind that decided to have an apple tree where only grass grew,
to the hand that planted the seed and nurtured it in a greenhouse sheltered from wind with the only rain provided by a watering can.
to the hands planting the young tree outdoors,
the shovel that dug and those who manufactured it,
the earthworms moving through the disturbed earth piled back around the roots,
the water poured which travelled along pipes (laid in place by employees of Yorkshire Water) to help the tree connect with new surroundings,
to those who tended the growing tree, supplemented water in the dry times,
kept branches safe from nibbling deer,
the mouth that smiled to see the first blossom,
the head that nodded satisfaction when an apple bloomed, the mind that judged the ripeness,
the hand that picked the apple to add to a barrel which was transported by the driver of a truck who unloaded the vehicle and drove back,
money in pocket,
more work waiting to be done.
The apple sat among other apples in the barrel until different hands picked and packed it for a journey to a fruit and veg market where other eyes liked the look of it,
another mind decided to purchase the whole barrel,
transported it with carrots and broccoli and beetroot to Class One in Settle where the apple waited before another pair of hands,
chose it carefully with five others to put in a brown bag which some other driver delivered with some carrots and broccoli and beetroot as well as other fruit and veg,
to a terraced house where a woman unpacked it to place in a crystal fruit bowl from her father-in-law’s mother,
then today,
she chose this particular apple to slice in quarters to have with her brunch.
And don’t get me started on the rolled oats that she combined with spelt flakes to
soak overnight from three different sources,
the fresh blueberries and bran sticks she sprinkled on top before serving or the final ingredient,
a teaspoon of honey conjuring dozens of bees murmuring in their hive.
Before she bites into the first slice of apple,
she gives thanks for the nourishment this meal will provide heart,
mind,
body and soul,
thinking of the sun shining on the apple tree,
and the rain nurturing leaves and roots.
ALL IS WELL
