Naming Truths, Claiming the World

“Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.”
― Audre Lorde

Friends, we have two spots left for our June 10-12 in-person writing + yoga memoir intensive, The Visceral Self. We hope you will join us!

And why would we want to “write through our bodies” — or let our bodies speak out on the page? Why would we want our writing to be more “visceral,” more connected to the sensations and memories we hold in our cells? Because these sensations and memories contain a different level of truth than the stories we already think we know.

Our bodies understand things. But accessing this wisdom can be hard. Sometimes it feels almost as if our bodies hold secrets in ways that don’t serve us. “The critical issue is allowing yourself to know what you know,” says Bessel van Der Kolk, author of the landmark book The Body Keeps the Score. “The two most important things,” he says, “… are “Notice that” and “What happens next?” Once you start approaching your body with curiosity rather than with fear, everything shifts.”

This workshop is intended to facilitate that noticing, that curiosity, and channel it toward that shift—both on and off the page. This workshop is about being more embodied, more alive, both in writing and in life. This is about being in the world with the openness and curiosity central to art. We will use a combination of guided movement, music, nature, sensory awareness exercises, and inventive writing prompts to access the humor, sorrow, fear, ecstasy, and silence contained deep within us.

We would love to have you join us! Details are here, and please send questions directly to me at elephantrockretreats@gmail.com.

With love,

Jeannine