3230 - No Mud, No Lotus - Writing and Breathing Our Way to Transformation and Healing

Course Description

Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us that happiness and suffering cannot exist without one another. Looking deeply, we listen to our breath, taste our tea, see the brightness of a rose petal, and find our stories. In this class, we will do long and short sessions of mindfulness practice and generate a first draft of something that may in time be the seed of a novel, a short story, a book of poems or photographs, or a memoir.  We will practice ways to transform the mud of our suffering from which our awakened self can grow. We will learn strategies of journaling and notebook keeping, artist dates and morning pages, goal setting, discipline, fearlessness, and letting go, all part of our journey as writers, artists, and human beings. This class is open to novice, intermediate, and advanced writers, artists, and meditation practitioners from all genres and wisdom traditions.

Learning Outcomes

• Unblock creative energy and discover discipline.

• Create connections between your interior and exterior lives.

• Connect the wisdom within your heart to the written word.

This course may be applied towards the SCS Certificate(s) in

• Creative Writing : Elective Courses