I hope this finds you well!
In our live session in my Align Community on Friday, we read Lucille Clifton's beautiful poem, "blessing the boats" (see the poem below), and I invited everyone to write their own blessing—in the form of a poem or a note. Then each of us read one line of our writing aloud for a collective group blessing.
It was an incredible experience to hear this outpouring of blessings. In just 20 minutes, outside of any religion or hierarchical system, we had collectively created an abundance of well wishes.
These are unsettling times here in the US and around the globe, but the session reminded me—not just intellectually, but in my body—that love and compassion are also alive and well. And this itself was healing.
I've been getting messages of concern from some people; if they write to heal, will they get stuck in old pain? Will they be overwhelmed by more negativity in a time that is already so challenging?
I understand the concern. It's essential that we keep ourselves balanced and uplifted.
When we write to heal, we don't just go to difficult places; we also nourish ourselves.
Writing to heal helps us regulate our nervous systems, become more resilient, and come into greater wellbeing.
There's still time to register for my Free Writing to Heal class this week—even if you can't make it live, everyone who signs up will get the replay and a 20+page guide with lessons, prompts and meditation recordings to pair with writing.
I always teach with trauma-informed methods that are gentle, that will meet you where you are.
In the class, I'll be sharing specific tools to help you move forward, rather than feel re-triggered.
And when you sign up, you can get started right away with the lessons and prompts in the 20+ page downloadable guide. Inside the guide you'll also find two meditations—a meditation to do before you write, to help you listen to your body and intuition—and one to do after you write, like a Savasana for writers, so that you can integrate the work you've done in your writing and pause and settle before going back into your day.
Choose the time that works best for you:
- Thursday, January 15th at 3pm ET / 12pm PT / 8pm UK (Find your time zone here.)
- Friday, January 16th at 12pm ET / 9am PT / 5pm UK (Find your time zone here.)
Can't make it live? Sign up for Friday's class, and you'll get the recording and free guide. As always, reach out with any questions—just send an email to nadia@nadiacolburn.com—and share this with any friends who might find the free class and guide beneficial. 🙂
with love,
Nadia
--
blessing the boats
By Lucille Clifton
(at St. Mary's)
may the tide
that is entering even now
the lip of our understanding
carry you out
beyond the face of fear
may you kissthe wind then turn from it
certain that it will
love your back may you
open your eyes to water
water waving forever
and may you in your innocence
sail through this to that
A note on the poem: Clifton published this poem in 2000 as the title poem of a New and Selected Poems collection, and so she intended it as a message for the overall book. At the time, she was struggling with kidney failure and cancer. Clifton's life had its fair share of struggles—from sexual abuse in her childhood, to growing up as a Black woman in America in the 30s and 40s, to being widowed when she was only 48 years old, to the early death of one of her six children. This is a poem that responds to challenge, but also a poem of great blessing and wisdom, love and freedom. How can we meet ourselves and our life, this moment and the world, with greater love, openness, and fluidity?
I'll hope to see you live later this week.