Returning - 16 September 2023

This workshop gave participants an opportunity to come into the present moment and consider what the theme meant to them in terms of situations, seasons, places and faces.  We pondered what the word returning meant and created a word-cloud with a range of responses about the word and how it made us feel in anticipation of various sorts of returning.

The resource poem provided much food for thought both figuratively and existentially and elicited some profound written and spoken reflections.  We looked at some images and some oracle cards to inspire further writing and sharing.  Here's a flavour of our inspiration:

We came away with gems from our writing and plenty of fuel for further writing and reflection.

Leaving - 8 July 2023

The theme of leaving brought up various recollections for participants as well as a sense of longing.  Songs were recalled and we journeyed from Simon & Garfunkel's Homeward Bound to Otis Redding's A Change is Gonna Come and connected along the way.  We also recalled through the sense of smell as well as a connection to our younger selves, that spirit that never truly leaves us.

We explored our thoughts on the theme of leaving and arrived at these words which melded together to form a reminder of our time together; 

We contemplated some paintings on the theme of leaving which gave room for connection to different images.  We then wove our explorations with words together with our responses to some oracle cards.  

Here is an excerpt from my word weaving:

Those warrior figures in my life have departed

Maybe we're all warriors though

We have our strengths 

we each stand on our own.

There are times when confidence must put up

its shield against that which would detain it

and stride on to take us in our chosen direction.

As Otis would say—It's been a long time coming

but a change is gonna come—oh yes it is.

We shared what we would take away from the workshop through our own words and one another's and felt that these tied in to own aspirations at the beginning of the session.  There was much to reflect upon and quite possibly more writing to come.

The next workshop will be on 16th September.  Theme to be confirmed.

Replenishing - 17 June 2023

 It was good to come together and share how we accessed writing for wellbeing and the roots of our practice. We explored our thoughts on the theme of replenishing both by definition and through free-writing. Here is the wordcloud we co-created:

Some mindful movements brought us to a quiet space where we were ready to dive into the first poetic resource and writing experience. We reflected on the power of sharing our written words aloud in the group. 

It is often enlightening to see where the writing and sharing takes us and today was no exception. Participants came away with gems from their own writing as well as the words from others in the group to take away for reflection and future recollection on the self discovery path.

Feedback:

When asked "What did you particularly enjoy or was a highlight of the workshop for you?" 

 "I enjoyed being with people who were open to exploration in a safe space. I particularly enjoyed reading the poems out together. I liked the way we were inspired by each other and the alternate names intro." (Margaret)

"Having group discussions and expressing thoughts in a safe environment. Being heard and ideas being formed." (Loretta)

When asked if there were something that you would take away from today and practise at home?

"I enjoyed the meditation exercise and have incorporated into my exercise routine." (Margaret)

"Reading more mindful poetry. Good for the soul." (Loretta)

Other comments:

"I really enjoyed the session and found it empowering. I would definitely be interested in attending more sessions." (Margaret)

"After a long period of being away from these sessions, it was such a joy to come back and be part of a lovely group. I felt we all connected." (Loretta)

Communing - 4 March 2023

This was the first time I have offered a workshop on this theme.  It brought up a real sense of attunement to those in the space, to our breathing, where we simply 'were' in the space without identifying with our normal sense of self where we breathed together. This is echoed in the wordcloud we created:

We wondered how a shared experience, or a shared reading of a poem, or listening of our words, might then affect each person in different ways after the workshop.

The writing brought about discussion of lockdown experiences and how nature and online networking helped maintain a sense of connection and community. 

Firsts - 4 February 2023

 This was not the first time I have offered a workshop on this theme.  However, as ever with writing for wellbeing, the discussions, writings and reflections are very different according to who attends and what they bring and share.  

Today was no exception.  As we discussed some of our firsts, more firsts crept in and it is surprising how easily this theme promotes recollections of times pasts and imaginings of times that may come.  

Here is a word cloud of some topics we came up with for possible explorations as firsts.  Perhaps these can remind you of some of your own firsts or perhaps you can think of more?

The session brought up some recollections not often thought about and some evocative writing and reflections and ideas for further writing.

Amalgamating 22 October 2022

 We began by contemplating our writing alter ego and what writing brings to us.  We then led into some free-writing to mark the start of the workshop as we began writing together, joined in our zoom-box configuration.

We contemplated the theme of amalgamating and co-created a word cloud. It's always fascinating to observe the placement of the words in the arrangement.

A five element movement exercise and some quiet sitting helped to settle minds in readiness for the main writing exercise. The poem deepened our focus, taking time to build to an unexpected ending. This led the group into some more writing taken from self-selected phrases in the poem. We then considered the different strands of our self and our life and how these came together. Some rich insights, including some personal affirmations, emerged from the writing and sharing providing plenty of food for further reflection and further writing.

Brokenness - 14 May 2022

 We began by looking at some images on the theme of brokenness which initiated a lot of discussion in terms of what is implied by being broken and that the concept of brokenness invokes a conditioned need either to repair or somehow to return to wholeness.  We explored our responses to this and the discussion then brought up the concept of kintsugi (the Japanese practice of restoring broken crockery with gold so that the repaired fractures are clearly visible).  We considered whether certain things, once broken, could be fully restored and whether this was even necessary.

The group then created the word cloud below where, interestingly, the word 'kintsugi' is mis-spelt, indicating that the word itself in this image is 'broken'.

We then looked at two poems on the theme which inspired writing and discussion including whether anything is ever always whole.  All in all a rich and interesting session, promoting food for further reflection.

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Feedback

Narayani created a warm, welcoming, nurturing online space in which it felt easy for me to relax and feel able to explore, share, be curious and connect with the others in the group.

 

I felt that the group reading of the poetic prompts allowed me to start reflecting on some new ideas around “brokenness”.  Then the opportunity to respond to the poem prompt with my own creative writing released another layer of emotion and allowed deeper exploration.  

For me, the most important piece of the workshop happened when Narayani invited us back into the group space together and we shared our reflections with each other.  Hearing others creative responses for me was the “aha!” moment...it felt like the collective wisdom of the group, gently guided by Narayani, led to some moments of beautiful and sometimes profound reflection and sharing.  I felt a real sense of personal growth, evolution and growth by the end of the session...it felt like a real process of alchemy had occurred! 

Other comments

This workshop was a powerful and profound experience for me.  Through the use of creative prompts, our own creative expression and the wisdom found in group sharing, I felt like I made some real shifts in the way that I see the concept of “brokenness”.   The way I have seen myself as either “broken” OR “whole” has been gently challenged— I feel like this workshop is the beginning of me stepping away from the binary of “being broken” vs “being fixed”

                                                                                                                              Sara

Regeneration - 9 April 2022

Participants enjoyed finding a gesture that represented the connection with the Earth.  The initial free write helped participants to explore the experience of stillness and reflect on life pace and change.  The group considered and shared their experience of the word regeneration.  The wordcloud below illustrates the restorative arena that regeneration evokes.  It is always interesting to note the placement of apparently separate words in relation to one another:

The poem elicited a lot of discussion which with many favourite lines in common.  There was a fair amount of interweaving of our words whereby similar themes were coming through in our different pieces of writing. 

The second exercise reflected invited reflection on our ancestry through metaphor which brought up recollections of people, places, foods and it was interesting to hear these diverse experiences with which we could nonetheless resonate.

We then spent some time reflecting on words we had written or heard from others that we appreciated and would take away from the workshop. 

Crossings - 19 March 2022

 We began with introductions and sharing what inspired us which in this instance, without any prompting, was all connected to light.  We then wrote about how we recalled our own “crossings” and how these manifested and what we could learn from them. 

We created a word cloud in response to the theme and as ever it was interesting to see where words sat in relation to one another:

 The poem promoted a lot of discussion and reflection in the writing in terms of how the images had been portrayed in words, which was inspiring.  We then looked at some different sets of images and explored how the writing for each chosen image related to one another and what emerged from the pairing.  Interestingly, there was one image that the whole group chose, perhaps because it is such an iconic one that referred to childhood.  Can you guess which one it is?

Finally, we looked back through what we’d experienced during our time together and shared what we would take away from the workshop and from one another and this helped to deepen connections.  

 

Here’s something I wrote that the poem reminded me of on an “ordinary” day:

 

I’d been watching a pair of leaves dance by the allotments

entwined with silver threads spun by spiders 

The breeze called its own tune

and the pair could not resist

They were lifted up as they twirled

but then the wind would drop

The rising and falling was like waves of rhythm 

conducted by nature

I could hardly bear to turn away

so entrancing was this interplay

20 November - Boundaries, coming back to myself

 We began by considering how we portray ourselves publicly versus privately and the expectations of others as to how we come across.  We tuned in to these Soul Card images in terms of the energies of others crowding us, what we send out to others and how we might feel when we are centred.

We explored the idea of coming back to ourselves and what that meant. Responses were varied but shared common themes of finding the true self, valuing time, our connections and being kind to ourselves.

We created a word cloud around the theme and it was interesting to see where the words fell and in particular the colour which could be liked to a warning colour or one of joy that appears in flowers. Yellow is also thought to be the colour of friendship.

We practised a visualisation that restored our own energy and we anchored that to recall when needed.  The poem enabled further exploration of the theme. whether in terms of self protection or going beyond boundaries.  To round off, I will share my own writing from the final segment:

When I create my own protected space

I feel that I am somehow valiant

in a war of boundary breaking.

I am quiet, I calm and ground.

When I let go of thoughts of others

there is more space for me to breathe.

My breathing slows, my belly softens.

I am quiet, I calm and ground.

When I do, the storm calms

and maybe the clouds in others also recede.

What if we were all to calm?

Perhaps the earth itself could breathe....

9 October - Perseverance

 This theme naturally touched on how we had all needed to persevere and keep on keeping on during the pandemic.  The gestures we made in the intros helped to embody the word that would accompany participants during the workshop.

We used some oracle cards to start us off and it was interesting to hear the responses elicited from the colours and interactions in the images. We then co-created a word cloud of words and phrases around the theme which helped us to flesh out our ideas about and approaches to perseverance:

Everyone enjoyed the poem and found the subject of the poem to embody the theme of perseverance and which enabled ideas of new horizons, fragility and inner reserve to emerge. We developed this into an image that we could keep in mind to take us forward.  It was also useful to look back at phrases we had written, either our own or that we had heard.

Online Workshop - in the space between

The theme provided an arena for discussion about recent experiences which included how participants had been feeling during the course of the pandemic and the activities they had or had not been doing, including reading and writing. Participants were generous in what they shared and it was helpful to hear authentic experiences as this encouraged the group to open up to one another.

It was interesting to explore the theme and here are some words and phrases that arose:

The poem was thought to be inspiring and elicited journeys to dreams, recollections of childhood and inner worlds, reflective spaces and opportunities to appreciate ordinary moments.

This was the first workshop of the longer format and it was good to have more time to share and respond to one another's writing.  

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Feedback:

Asked "What did you particularly enjoy or was a highlight of the workshop for you?" 

 

"I loved the theme of the workshop as it was very pertinent to where I have been feeling in my life’s journey currently.  But I think the theme brought up many thoughts and feelings  and differing perspectives for our group so it was really interesting to hear everyone’s reflections and contributions so thank you to everyone today ! .

 

I think for me the highlight was the beautiful Poem which was really rich with “food for thought”, reflection and contemplation."                 Paula (Dog Washer/ Social Worker)

"I enjoyed the workshop very much.  I found it well planned, with enough variation of talk, writing , reading out our own work (if we wanted to) listening and responding to writing.  The length/ timing of the sessions meant my interest was sustained throughout.  I felt we all had enough time but there was no pressure to share or even respond to writing if we did not want to.  I loved the stimulus poem the tutor sourced and it was perfect for the theme of the workshop.  I also enjoyed the short visualisation/meditation before writing.       Gill (retired teacher)

Other comments:

Loved the Space to do the Tai Chi  / meditation  also loved the bit about letting go allowing “other stuff to go back to Source” and “us to come back to our self”… recognition of transference … group think. Thank you for this!!"  Paula (Dog Washer/ Social Worker)

"It made me remember how pleasurable writing can be." Gill (retired teacher)

Online workshop - Going Away - 19 June 2021

Selected some oracle cards prior the workshop. The Pure Dream card speaks of “following your intuition, developing your imagination, dreaming big and thinking about things with an open mind, connecting to the inner child and being naive”. The second card -Instincts - chimes with that and the third, speaking of embracing every lesson every moment, also attunes with the concepts of writing for well-being, of allowing the words to flow onto the page.

Today’s workshop was a smaller group than anticipated and it was more like meeting friends around a coffee table and doing some writing together and sharing and chatting. It felt very natural and quite freeing, even via zoom.

We explored the theme of “going away“ and produced a word cloud (shared with permission of participants).

The writing brought up recollections of places lived in, places travelled, places to revisit or to explore as well as things that have been bought while away and what we’ve done with them (or not at the case may be). We talked about the idea that it can seem so easy to purchase something while away with the intention of doing something with it when we get home and perhaps, on reflection, realising that it has been sitting in a bag for quite "some time".

We talked about how we prepare ourselves to go away and how we are while we’re away, meeting the people we meet, also the dilemma of wishing to make the most of the place we’re staying, such as a hotel or B&B, but then perhaps wishing to keep to ourselves to avoid using shared tables or eating spaces and all that goes with that.

There was food for thought as to which writing exercises could be used or developed afterwards as well as sitting with some of the material that came up and possibly exploring further.

Feedback: Asked if there were something that you would take away from today and practise at home, what in particular would that be and how might you use it?  

 

Definitely the Wordcloud.  I really enjoyed this and would like to use it for my own personal free-writing and possibly when explaining journaling techniques such as ‘clustering’ to others. Also I like the idea of writing from Oracle cards.  I have a box of angel cards at home and I think I might pick one daily for a week as inspiration for some morning free-writing. (Laura Merritt)

11 May workshops - Air + Writing to Taste Life

It was good to be back at Goose Green and to offer the last of the elements - Air.  We connected through a poem that praised air and later co-created a new poem through interweaving lines from one another's words.  This involved mindful listening and selection.

I then dashed off to Brompton Road Library to take part in the Cityreads series of events around the book "Sofia Khan is not obliged".  As some of the group were expecting a talk on food, it was wonderful that everyone was willing to find out about words for wellbeing and to take part in the workshop.

Here is a selection of feedback from the two workshops:

What did you particularly enjoy?
"Starting with a word and building forward was inspirational for me." - Brajesh

"Having the quiet, space and relaxation to allow myself to think, focus and express myself in writing," - Jan

"Sharing ideas with others and hearing their contributions." - Noreen

"Participation, sharing experiences and hearing beautiful stories." - Tania


Something you might take away
"Writing regularly (without judging it)." - Brajesh

"The realisation that writing down feelings and thoughts helps to clear your mind and get rid of anxiety with a better understanding of yourself." - Jan

"Starting to write for me." Maria

"Write for the joy of writing." Parishma

"Learning that sharing, regardless of what I think is good or bad is important." - Tania

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Other comments
"I would like to go to other similar events about writing." Donna Costa

"Thank you - a very enjoyable two hours." Maria

"Longer session needed.  Would love more sessions" - Tania

Goose Green - Water Workshop 9 March

It was a blustery day on 9 March and it was good to be cosseted away in our writing space once again at Goose Green Clinic.

We reviewed our writing practice since the last session with one participant having kept their  playful "earth" nameplate from the previous workshop in view in their writing space to maintain the good feelings and momentum from our last session.

We then created a new nameplate and played with its sound and movement as a means of introduction.  We reviewed our "ground rules" for working together and dived into our first free write.  Then some releasing and flowing movements followed by some mindful breathing.  

We contemplated what "water" meant to us then read and discussed a poem to connect to this and wrote from a favourite line or phrase.  We then explored our relationship with water in some more writing and rounded off with some "messages" from stones.

Here's some of the feedback:-

"I enjoyed all of it.  Gentle approach is nice.  Good balance." - RP

Asked "what did you particularly enjoy? 

     "the poem, very thought provoking.  Helped me to think about my relationship to water" - Emel

 "The lovely stone at the end.  I feel cheered and energised by it." - RP

Anything you would take away from today?

     "the use of meditation and movement before writing" - Emel

Further comment:

     "I like understanding how to read my work without feeling the need to explain" - Emel

It was good to explore the theme of water with this group!  I'm looking forward to our next workshop on 6th April on the theme of fire + light.

First workshop at Goose Green Clinic - Earth - 9 February 2019

The series of workshops got off to a good start at Goose Green Clinic.  We were in Bodhi room which is a quiet space to reflect and write.

We reinvented ourselves by way of a nameplate as a means of introduction.  Then, after agreeing how we needed to act in order to feel safe to share and writing these up on my handy portable flip chart, we spent a few minutes doing some releasing and calming movements followed by some mindful breathing and a grounding practice.  This helped participants flow into their first free-writing exercise to arrive on the page.

We then contemplated what "earth" meant to us then read and discussed a poem to connect to this and wrote from a favourite line or phrase.  Following this, we each selected a tree wisdom card to polish off the session.   

Here's some of the feedback:-

"I felt safe and relaxed."

Asked "what did you particularly enjoy? 

     "its gentleness"

     "The small group.  The lovely room.  The mix of exercises.  The respect for time.  The measured approach."

Anything you would take away from today?

     "calm, peace, stillness"

And an unsolicited note about the facilitator:

     "I thought you were terrific!!  Professional, but light hearted too."

What a lovely group of participants!  I'm looking forward to our next workshop on 9th March on the theme of water.

Lapidus London Day of Words for Wellbeing - 9 June 2018

Here I am with Mary Burns and Marie-Therese Keegan that's in a lovely article by Kate McBarron about the day of workshops that I helped organise and facilitate at Conway Hall for London Lapidus during Wellbeing and Creativity Week.