I was away last week at a silent Vipassana retreat in Western Mass. For three days, we meditated at least 10 hours a day and had very few external stimuli.
In meditation, we bring our attention inward, to our own internal sensations and practice noticing—but not reacting with either aversion or grasping—so that we can develop equanimity.
Though some individual hours felt looong, the three days went by quickly; it was a lovely mind-cleanse.
But being back, I’m all the more aware of the over-muchness of the world around us.
Our attention is usually drawn outward and people are in a constant state of bipolar-like reaction, either delighted, with a kind of frenzy that rarely lasts, or (more often) very worried.
I want to stay centered and be engaged with what is around me, both–this, it seems to me, is our real work as humans, especially in this complicated period.
I want to offer you/ remind you of some of my free tools that can help us keep our equanimity, while staying awake and alive to the world around us. These tools are developed for writers, but can be used by anyone. When we bring meditations and writing together, we’re practicing both that inward attention and outward engagement.
My metta meditation introduces you to and helps you deepen the beautiful practice of lovingkindness. This special version is designed with writing prompts to help you explore the practice more fully. You can access it here: https://nadiacolburn.com/welcome-and-meditation-metta-meditation/
My silent breath meditation and writing session guides you to write after meditation. It’s a great way to bring together silence and writing: You can download that here: https://nadiacolburn.com/15-minute-audio-meditation-and-writing-session/
I hope you enjoy these! Let me know if you have any questions.
For some reason, my book still hasn’t been restocked at small press distribution. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s available again.
In the meantime, please also look below to learn about some of my upcoming writing classes in the Boston area.
May you be protected and safe, contented and pleased, and may you shine your light,
with love,
Nadia
UPCOMING WRITING CLASSES IN BOSTON
Friday, December 6th, I’m offering a 3 hour Poet3-hour Contemporary Practice workshop at Grub Street from 10:30-1:30
https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/class/poetry-as-a-contemplative-practice-1/
Starting Monday, January 6th, new 10 week sessions of my Poetry Workshop and of my Memoir/Creative Nonfiction workshop will start. These classes are offered from my house in North Cambridge. Capped at 9 students, these workshops are wonderful ways for writers of any level to deepen your writing and connect with a strong community of other writers. The small class size allows for lots of individualized attention and the opportunity to work on individual projects. See more about these classes here: https://nadiacolburn.com/creative-writing-classes-in-boston/
Starting Wednesday, January 15th, from 10:30-1:30, I’ll be offering a 6 week session of my Poetry as a Contemplative Practice workshop at Grub Street.
https://grubstreet.org/findaclass/class/poetry-as-a-contemplative-practice-2/
Reach out to me with any questions. Of course, please share this with any other friends who might be interested.
And stay tuned for more free resources and online opportunities for writers coming soon.