"The blend of mindfulness and writing has been amazing"
"Lauri is calm, intuitive, perceptive and her skills as a mindfulness teacher are evidently excellent. "
"Enter with an open mind and find it opening in ways you never imagined. Something for everyone in this course"
An 8-week course exploring the supportive relationship between mindfulness and writing, both of which operate from a basis of 'more curiosity than fear'. *
Mindful Writing Course
Mindful Writing offers a different way of exploring these two elements by combining mindful meditations with practical writing exercises. Each session includes guided meditations, writing exercises and group discussions led by an experienced facilitator in a warm, friendly atmosphere with a maximum of 8 participants. This 8-week course uses Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Attitudinal Foundations of mindfulness (also known as the 7 Pillars of Mindfulness) as a guide to explore what having more curiosity than fear could look like, feel like and ultimately mean in our lives.
In my experience mindful writing is a helpful means of getting to the source of an issue/experience, by allowing the physical act of writing to tap into unconscious thoughts, feelings and emotions.
It is a safe way of approaching what is in my heart that is longing for expression. Through this course I encourage you to unlearn the habits of judging and saying to yourself, ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘it’s no good’ and to have a go. I encourage a playful approach to writing and to mindfulness.Please note, you will NOT be asked to share your writing, unless you wish to. It doesn’t interest me whether you think you can write or not, or what you have written previously. I want to know if you are willing to sit and listen to what your heart longs for you to hear. (inspired by The Invitation – Oriah Mountain Dreamer). I’m not even going to use the P word (poem) in the course, as this can set up a block which can inhibit writing. Instead I encourage you to be open to see where your writing takes you.
Course Content
Week 1 – Beginner’s Mind Week 2 – Non-judging Week 3 – Acceptance Week 4 – Patience Week 5 – Trust Week 6 – Letting Go Week 7 – Non-striving Week 8 – Beginner’s Mind
Who Can Attend
This course is suitable for beginners to mindfulness and writing, as well as those wishing to refresh or deepen their mindfulness practice, or explore their writing in a fresh way. I invite everyone to put aside their previous knowledge and experience (or lack of it.
) and engage a Beginner’s Mind. If you already have writing experience and would like to bring more mindfulness into your practice then this course is for you. If the idea of writing scares you, this is also the course for you.
Commitment needed
The course is not simply a writing class. Nor is it a "quick fix", relaxation class or group therapy session. The aim is to use these exercises to engage in learning valuable life skills offering many potential benefits. The development of these requires a personal commitment to attending all eight sessions and developing regular mindfulness and writing practices at home. As each class builds on the preceding week, I recommend that anyone who misses a session contacts me for advice on how to continue your mindfulness and writing practices.
I am happy to accommodate this in the case of illness etc., but regret that if more than two sessions are missed you may not be able to finish the course. Please carefully check the course schedule below before booking a place.
Course Schedule
This course is taught on Tuesday evenings 19.00 – 21.00
Week 1 – Tuesday 28th January Week 2 – Tuesday 4th February Week 3 – Tuesday 11th February Week 4 – Tuesday 18th February (NB no session on Tuesday 25th February) Week 5 – Tuesday 3rd March Week 6 – Tuesday 10th March Week 7 – Tuesday 17th March Week 8 – Tuesday 24th March
Tutor
The tutor for this course is Dr. Lauri Bower
Lauri has 30 years' experience of meditation practice and 15 years of running and organising retreats. She began teaching Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses in 2013, which expanded into Mindfulness and Creativity retreats, workshops and courses in 2015. She completed a Ph.D.
in Mindfulness in 2014. To date, over 300 people have completed mindfulness courses with Lauri. She has always engaged with creative pursuits in sewing, dressmaking, embroidery, calligraphy, jewellery and bookbinding and since 2012 has been exploring how the practice of mindfulness informs her poetry writing. She regularly posts poems to her blog and and her creative work to Instagram. She sells handmade books and poetry booklets. FAQs
What if I miss a session?
It is ideal if you can make all the sessions as this way you will gain a sound foundation in the mindfulness and writing practices. If you have to miss a session and know ahead of time, do let me know and I will advise you on how to continue your mindfulness and creative practices. I would not recommend missing more than two sessions, as you will lose a lot of the course content. What further information will I receive?
You will receive a confirmation email once you have booked a place. This will confirm the information on the class dates, venue etc. Please save this email for reference when you arrive on the course. What is your cancellation policy?
If you cancel your booking at least 7 days before the start of the course you will be refunded your full course fee minus a £15 administration fee.If you cancel your booking less than 7 days before the start of the course you will be issued a 50% refund of the course fee.Once the course has started no refunds will be issued. If the course is cancelled by the organiser you will be refunded in full.
Do you have any other questions about the Mindful Writing Course? If so I’ll be happy to help. Please contact
[email protected]
* Elizabeth Gilbert
