MaW session of 27th July

Today's mindfulness practice was a bodyscan and Adrienne introduced it with this poem:

Between

by Bev Schofield

What is the heartbeat without the silence 

between the thudding pump of our life organ? 

What is day if there is no night into which it can dawn? 

What is spring if there be no winter out of which to bud,

and what is winter’s respite without summer’s

punishing expectation of achievement?

Rest now, in the place that you thought was dark;

in the silence where you feared the heart 

would never beat again. Heal

in the spaces between your breaths. 

Embrace the exquisite stillness of that quiet 

till you care no more what’s to be done with the breath to come

nor what was said by the breath before.

Bev offered several writing prompts inspired by the poem "These Days" by Giovanna McKenna:

waiting

waiting quietly

moving silently invisible

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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

inspired by ‘These Days’ by Giovanna Mackenna

by Kay Ritche

 

like waiting for Godot

I topple off the edge of each day

burn up dead time

return with the night

to blackbird blues which

croon a crease into the boredom &

wait   a burstingness in my heart for

what will be

untitled

by Bex Woodsford

So just wait

      still silent sitting

Not twisting

       Not turning

Body breathing

        surrounded by space

Expanding to embrace

         the chance of a new possibility 

Not a race

          No striving

And new steps may emerge in the dance

Moving silently, invisible

by Candyce Reynolds

 

Walking the streets,

I am barely noticed

Or so it seems

 

My mind, which is still young and pert thinks..

I must move silently

Not heard, so not seen

 

The truth I know

is within me

It is

My body

It registers a void --

Invisible, Invisible

Grey hair transparent; my creases fold onto each other

Nothing there to respond to

 

I worry that my gaze will start to mimic theirs

That I’ll become more and more see-through,

Quieter, smaller

Eventually impossible to be seen or heard

 

I want to jump up and down, yell and push them

To be noticed

To be notable like I used to be

A head nod in passing

Perhaps a hello

That’s all I ask.

 

I want to remind them:

Grey is a color and creases have dimensions

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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Amber: Hello, sorry that I'm late! Very happy to be here.

Catherine: I am sitting in a park with children so will keep audio and camera mainly of as on holiday

Kay: as always   wonderful thanks adrienne

Kay: lovely to see you catrice

Joyce: that was fabulous Adrienne thankyou xxx

Karen: Sorry I haven’t been able to participate properly- I’ll take the theme and write something later. Visitors still here…

Bev: No prob Karen

Catrice: Here listening today. Camera off.

Nichole: Lovely Bex

Catrice: Beautiful

Joyce Nicholson: I love I gap the mind

Giovanna: “that period when you are arriving somewhere but still elsewhere”

Annan: Yes!

Giovanna: “my creases fold on to each toher

Nichole: Wonderful Candice

Giovanna: each other” “I am not invisibel”

Candyce Reynolds: thanks

Giovanna: “where has the ground gone? / where is my next breath?”

Nichole: Thank you Giovanna, that was  so moving

Joyce Nicholson: amazing Giovanna thank you

Giovanna: thank you ❤️

Nichole: Beautiful and powerful Amber, thank you.

Giovanna: “I lived through the mess / the political unrest” “for friends on the edge of hope / and for those who’ve already chosen to leave us”

Bex Woodsford: So powerful

Giovanna: I loved that Amber, and maybe it’s my poet’s mind but it certainly felt like poetry to me. I’d love to read it again

Doreen Kelly: I agree

Giovanna: “golden fresh dampness / the joy of petals up-stretched” “intentfully making space”

Nichole: Thank you

Giovanna: Thank you Bev, Adrienne and everyone, I feel so lifted for being with you all tonight

Doreen Kelly: Thanks. Night night,

Kay: thankyou thankyou thankyou

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Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership via the Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund managed by Impact Funding Partners

MaW session 20th July 2021

Course 2 started with a remarkable session that brought all the reassurance and connectedness of the Mindfulness and Writing "room".

Adrienne introduced her Mindfulness with the Support of Breath practice with a poerelatively new piece by John O’Donohue: The invitation to friendship with Nature

Bev took a writing prompt from "The Journey" by David Whyte:

the one line already written inside you

or

you are not leaving, you are arriving 

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And now for some of 

YOUR WRITING:

by Kath Higgens

“…the one line already written inside you” David Whyte, The Journey

I have tasted a wedge of freedom

and now am ravenous for more.

What does it mean to come to the open page

as to the ocean –

full of swell

ready to carry me away?

What do the poets mean when they say

let the poem lead you, let new discoveries

surface from the seabed –

or no, not even from there –

maybe from the fluffy, swirling, whitish foam

whose flecks glance off the incoming wave –

something hanging in the air

that wants to emerge into being,

that you didn’t know was waiting there?

For this I give myself to the discipline of the page –

the quest to bring to the dazzling light

the one line already written inside me

by Doreen Kelly

The one line already written inside you is not about judgement. Not about right and wrong. And not about similar or different. Search for that one line while throwing away judgements. Unburden yourself of all unneeded past criticism. Shame has no place in this search for that golden first line. You are not meant to find the one line written gently inside your core as a leaving gift, as a revelation at the end of it all. 

No you are arriving and if you listen well enough that silken line will whisper out from within you as you arrive at the starting line. The trick then is not to be distracted by those trying to carve themselves on to you. By all means build on the solid foundation within you but do not allow those hammers and chisels anywhere near the one line already written inside you.

Inspired by David Whyte’s ‘The Journey’

by Kay Ritchie

 

there were no sharp edges to her voice

she took words into her mouth to warm

then Kay she’d say & it was the bonniest sound

which took the edge off guddled-up emotions &

still I find her lines

written on my heart

in perfect copperplate

encouragement   advice   support

but what I’d give just to hear her

say my name

one more time

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Thanks to you all ...

... for your heartening feedback as always!

Kay: thanks Adrienne   have missed your sessions  kx: really beautiful, thank you Catrice

Catrice: Thank you, everyone!  Very kind.

Janey: Absolutely beautiful Catrice. Really moved me

Catrice: So sorry Cath.  Sending you love from USA.

Nichole: so sorry you’re going through that, Cath. thank you for sharing your pain, beautiful words xx

Janey: Cath , thank you for sharing which I know must be painful

Joyce: sending love to you Cath xxx

Nichole: gorgeous Kay, thank you so much

Catrice: Remarkable Kay!!!!

Britt: 'a love lead life'....

Nichole: wonderful Joyce, in the beautiful dharma

Nichole: thank you Helen, so moving

Nichole: really powerful Doreen, thank you

Kath: thank you Nicole. Courageous.

Catrice: Might be buried, but it’s not dead. — Good line Nichole!

Nichole: Thank you :-)

Karen: thankyou so much for your lovely comments and for making me so welcome. x

Catrice: Masterful, Sally.  You master brevity and depth so well.

Janey: That was wonderful Sally

Joyce: sally you are amazing xxx

Catrice: “But yet there is Fatih in these boughs and branches”. — Lovely, Brit!

Catrice: *Britt

Nichole: Thank you so much, Britt. Such beautiful imagery. Gorgeous reminders of nature and life. Love x

Catrice: So vivid.

Nichole: Thank you xx

Karen: have a wonderful week

Catrice: Thank you.

Kay: thankyou bev and adrienne   wonderful to be back with everyone   x

Joyce: fabulous,  moving and inspiring  xxxx

Y: Thank you for such a beautiful evening. Ps. I love the evening session. I was awake lol xxx

Jan: Thanks everyone

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Thanks to funders

Lapidus Scotland gratefully acknowledges the support of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership via the Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund managed by Impact Funding Partners