Writing and Meditation

I’m one of those people who’s been interested in meditation for a long time. But I’ve been mostly interested from a distance–because I also find it really, really hard. I find it hard to hold a thought—or my breath—in my mind, to concentrate on that thought, or to try and work with it. I’m one of those people who finds it easier to focus on a thought—and hold it—work with it—if my fingers are moving on a keyboard, or across a page.

I suspect this has everything to do with practice. If I were to graph the hours I’ve logged writing in my life—starting with the alphabet—and compare it to the minutes I’ve logged meditating, the meditation minutes would be powerfully dwarfed—they would literally disappear.

I’ve been interested for a while now in how writing can become a kind of meditation—perhaps a bridge to meditation—or a boat—for those of us who have trouble diving into the deep pool of meditation. So . . . writing and meditation is one of the things I plan to write about and explore over the next year. I’ll be reading about meditation. Reading about writing and meditation. Writing about all of this—and seeing where it takes me.

New pieces will be posted under Writing and Meditation. I would love to hear about your thoughts on the subject–or good resources you’ve come across.

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Photo: Rowing boats on the shore of Palokkajärvi in Jyväskylä, Finland by Magnus Franklin, from Wikimedia Commons

Email is the best way to comment or contact. My new email address is diane.s.morrow at gmail.com