Writing and the BODY WORKSHOP

a dynamic two-part online workshop, "Writing and the Body," designed to deepen your connection to somatic writing, mindfulness, and the intricate relationship between the body and the written word.

This immersive experience will unfold over two sessions, providing participants with valuable insights, creative prompts, and a supportive community to enhance their writing practice.

writing is a deeply physical practice

You do not need to consider yourself a writer to join this workshop. Writing is an incredibly effective healing tool and just as writers often find that the process of writing promotes their own recovery many people find themselves writing with the intent to process their emotions and then discover a love for storytelling, poetry, and essays.

You do not need to be physically mobile or have any movement experience in order to participate in this workshop. All the activities can be done sitting, lying down or in any other configuration. I promise you won’t be pushed to do anything that makes you uncomfortable or pushes your ability to move, stretch or otherwise do anything with your body that it doesn’t already do. This workshop is about meeting your body where and how it is. We will greet sensations, emotions and thoughts with curiosity, and compassion.

Everyone has a story to tell and a unique voice to tell it with. This workshop is designed to subvert the idea that the craft of writing is a series of rules to follow and replace it with a framework to see that when you tap into your authenticity you can use writing craft to break rules with style.

Writing is often viewed as a primarily cerebral activity. We think of writers statically sitting as their desks, disconnected from their bodies with just their mind and fingers engaged in the process of creation. The fact is that writing is a deeply physical practice. In order to write vivid scenes we are told to include all of the senses but then we discount how necessary it is for writers to deeply experience all of those senses through their own body. To write emotionally complex poetry and prose we must become connoisseurs of emotions; how emotions manifest in our bodies and how emotions are expressed to others through the body.

When we open ourselves up to experiencing the world in more exquisite detail our ability to describe that world is enhanced. In this workshop you will develop your ability to be a more adept writer because you will see your world (and the worlds you create) more clearly, you will see yourself and others in more precise detail and you will begin to notice and be able to describe a wider range of emotions. This workshop will include mindfulness and emotional awareness exercises to more fully engage your body in the writing and creative process.

Workshop HIGHLIGHTS

Delve into the complexities of emotions, understanding how they manifest within your body and in the behavior of others. Expand your emotional vocabulary and storytelling depth.
Engage in mindfulness exercises to heighten your awareness, fostering a profound connection between your emotions, body, and the written word.
Bring your body into the creative process, enhancing sensory descriptions and enriching the physicality of characters and scenes.
Gain insights into the art of writing and storytelling, exploring techniques that resonate with your unique voice and style.
Participants will leave this workshop with a deeper understanding of themselves, a more compassionate perspective on others, and thought-provoking questions to explore within their writing. This experience encourages continuous self-reflection and curiosity, allowing for ongoing growth and development as a writer and a human.