Breath for Words: Yoga & Writing
Generative Classes
New dates forthcoming in September! Click here to register for individual classes. Click here to rent past classes. |
Still, listen, I swear, I have not set one word down on top of another without breathing into it! -Mary Oliver Do you want to write, but you don’t have energy/ time/ space/ will?
Many people ask me how I can manage to stay focused on my writing – for me, the answer is yogic movement and breathwork. Mindful practices (like seated/standing yoga poses, gentle movement, sensory attention, energetic/chakra focus, and deep breathing) offer a calming approach to the relationship between the body and the mind, and they can encourage a state of creative “flow” that can help students of all talents and abilities who are struggling with writer’s block or who simply don’t have the time or space to create. As Anodea Judith writes, “Creativity combines will and consciousness and movs us forward into the future.When we create, we make something that has not existed before….Creativity is a pure expression of the spirit within us, the natural process of Self as it individuates. It allows the Self to give back to the world an assimilated form of what it has taken in.” In yoga, we play against the edge of our physicality - muscle, bone, organs, blood, and pulse - and in writing, we play against the edge of consciousness, memory, and imagination. In this class, we’ll do both. As a registered yoga teacher and creative writing instructor, Katherine will lead you through energetic circuits of writing and movement that include gentle/basics level yoga and focused meditation, so that you can create from a place of joy, rather than suffering. The sessions are great for all who struggle the blank page, whether you’re brand new to writing or are experienced but need some time to focus. This is not a place to workshop your writing; there will be no lessons in craft, no peer review, no feedback. The purpose of the time in this space is to generate words – and to create from a place of joy and freedom, including from judgment, critique, and fear. Arrive with a journal, a writing utensil, a mat, and an open mind. |
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