How many of you have kept journals or diaries while growing up? Books that contained your most private of thoughts and most precious of words that reflected your inner self at its most authentic, pure and peaceful level.
How did you feel during writing? Peaceful, still inside, oblivious to the sounds and the chaos around you. And so relieved to just get the words out.
Your probably didn’t know it then, but you were meditating during the act of writing. Finding the little spot of peace within you. Finding answers. In a place or environment of stillness.
Meditative writing is a form of meditation where in you can either:
- Get into a meditative state before you pick up your pen or strike the key board and allow your subconscious mind to direct you.
- Become one with your pen and keyboard and make the whole process one of peaceful expression
Benefits of Meditative Writing
- Greater clarity. When you write down your thoughts and see them on paper or on the screen. Meditative writing helps you to relax and see things clearly.
- One route on your journey to self discovery
- Slows down the mind and breath to the pace of the pen/kb giving space n expression to the subconscious mind.
- Allows you to stay in the present moment, builds greater self awareness.
- Great release for unexpressed/suppressed emotions like anger, resentment, sadness, grief
- Brings out challenges and helps you find your own solutions.
- Refreshing, its like rebooting your mind
- Powerful tool to stretch your mind, can be done anytime and anywhere
- Record of your own emotional/spiritual growth
- Healing tool, used successfully for those who have suffered a trauma or long term illness
How you can do Meditative Writing
To begin keeping a meditation journal, first pick out a nice notebook and a pen or pencil that suits your style. It is important for us to like the feel of the pen, and the look of the notebook and paper. These kinds of things may seem insignificant and unimportant, but they are like the subtle qualities in the food we prepare or the clothes we wear – they reflect who we are, and what our tastes are, so if we choose them carefully, we will be more inspired by them and inclined to write down our daily observations and insights.
Keep the journal nearby, and begin by always writing entries before and after meditation. Even if you just write a sentence, it is a good exercise to get you in the habit of putting some of your feelings and thoughts on the page. Later you can set aside time, just as you set aside meditation time, to write about your meditation practice in more detail. Or you may be satisfied to just write longer entries at the end of your meditation sessions.
Copyright Mita Bhan. All Rights Reserved
If you’d like to participate in a Meditative Writing workshop in September or enrol in an email course write to me at mita.bhan@gmail.com
