The Relaxed Writer

Audio Supports for Meditation Practice

As anyone who's worked with me knows...I'm a big fan of meditation as a tool for Relaxed Writers. 

Not only does an ongoing meditation practice help cultivate the ability to instantaneously "drop into" a relaxed state (useful for real-life situations in which you know you're about to stress out but really don't want to), but even after a few brief meditation sessions, writers and other creatives report heightened sensitivity and responsiveness to sensory, emotional and intellectual inputs.

An excellent ground for writing, don't you agree? 

Meditation is a big topic, one I'll be exploring further in weeks to come.  For the moment, I thought I'd share with you two helpful resources for guided meditations.

1.  For the Buddhist-inclined, listen to Insight Meditation Center's guided meditation practices (on MP3), brought to my attention by a current coaching client of mine:  Meditation Instruction

2.  For a more secular approach, you might give the following instructions for a Body Scan (as referred to in Jon Kabat Zinn's Full Catastrophe Living) a try:  Seated Body Scan Meditation

I'll be interested in hearing about your experiences. 

A New Toll-Free Number

I'm pleased to announce that I've just added a new toll-free phone number, good for callers in North America:  (888) 719-6817.

Local (SF Bay Area) and international callers, please continue to use (415) 256-8130.

Enjoy "Take Back Your Time Day"

There's much that we Relaxed Writers can do to use our time more mindfully and wisely. 

For traditionally employed (read:  day-jobbing) writers, however, there are less free hours for us to work with.  In fact, according to the non-partisan coalition, Take Back Your Time, today's Americans work longer days -- with less vacation time -- than ever before in history.

The folks at Take Back Your Time are working to put Time Poverty issues on policy agendas in the United States and Canada.  Visit their website to learn more about their work and how you can become involved.

After you've marked October 24, 2009 on your calendar (that's next year's Take Back Your Time Day), take a moment to consider how you might celebrate your very own "Take Back Your Time Day."   

Perhaps you'll leave time stress behind and indulge in a long bath?  Or enjoy a relaxed dinner with family or friends?

I've decided to go relax on the couch with a good book in-hand...at least until the baby wakes up from her nap.