Heart Writing

In June I spent a week’s vacation at the Omega Institute, in Rhinebeck, NY, learning how to “write from the heart.” The teacher/facilitator was Nancy Aronie, whose approach to helping people write is to give us an unfinished first sentence, 15 minutes to write, and then only positive feedback, after we read our own writing out loud to everyone in the group. By the end of the workshop, the 20 of us had all written, and read, about the things that were most important to us, and had had everyone affirm that it was good. By the end of the workshop, I felt like I had 20 new best friends. Yes, it felt a little like group therapy, although Nancy was good at keeping us on track, back on the writing, when we got off on tangents about the issues that were raised. (And many people had some really significant issues to raise!)

Omega was a wonderful place to do it – you feel like you are surrounded by people who are open-minded, accepting, compassionate, or at least on the spiritual journey along with you, even though perhaps at different points along the way. Great healthy communal meals outdoors on the huge front porch, accompanied by stimulating conversations. Plenty of time in between workshop sessions to meditate, do yoga, get a massage, listen to music, walk, run, swim, paddle, or just chill in a hammock by the lake. Oops, I keep forgetting, it is not about DOING, it is about NON-DOING. ;-)

So, OK, I get back from there and what do I do now to hang on to this experience, to keep writing? Here we are. I invite my fellow writers (i.e., anyone who reads this that wants to) to submit 15 minutes worth of their writing, and we can all comment (only positive of course …). On Nancy’s web site she has posted her next writing assignment:
“The last time I saw him/her …” 15 minutes… 