Mindfulness Practice
"Overcoming The Block"

Of the everyday mindfulness techniques listed previously, this is a mindfulness practice I find most effective.

This is mindfulness writing, which I also call overcoming the writer's block - or thinker's block - seeing how what you write comes from somewhere within your mind/brain.

A few reminders:

• No expectations.
• Remain mindful -- detached and non-judgmental -- to whatever comes out of you and onto paper. Don't interpret or over-analyze anything.
• Head up and sit up straight (in front of a blank page on your computer or a sheet of blank paper on your desk – you may want to print this page).

Here's our Disclaimer.

Now let's go through this mindfulness practice:

How do you feel looking at the blank page?

See the page as your loyal friend. It expects nothing from you, and it accepts anything you say whenever you want to say it. Good old Ms. Page, showing you her world of patience, unconditional love and support...

Now take a deep breath, sigh with relief - Ahhh ... Relax. Keep your shoulders low and and just start typing.

Don't think about it. It doesn't matter if your writing starts off looking something like this... aoijhoirh rjkhfrw owriidjkfn jl0982knmn ... Just move your fingers/hands.

Do it s-l-o-w-l-y. There's no rush, no real staccato tick-tack-tick-tack, just a gentle flow of time and letters onto paper. Feel your fingertips gently touching and pushing down the keys.

Now detach yourself from your fingers tapping on the keyboard and the strange words on screen/paper.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, sigh with relief – Ahhh - and just feel yourself relaxing while your fingers keep tapping on the keyboard.

If any thoughts arise, and it doesn't matter what they're about, channel them through your fingers and onto paper. Don't interpret your thoughts, put them onto paper. You can erase them afterwards because there always will be more words, more blank pages.

Breathe s-l-o-w-l-y, deeply – Ahhh... Relax.

Anything, and I mean anything that enters your awareness – just write it down.

You're completely detached from all expectations, non-judgmental, relaxed.

If you think this mindfulness practice is strange, write that down. Even detach yourself from the exercise too.

You are free to write about anything you want.

And if there's nothing on your mind, tap in some more random letters. And then write about how you feel about what, how, or why you're doing this exercise.

There's no one watching, there's no one revising, including you...

Completely detached now, just let the words flow. Breathe s-l-o-w-l-y, inhale through your nostrils.

Sigh with relief – Ahhh...

Relaxed, s-l-o-w movements. Now write for a couple of minutes without consulting this paper. Then come back.

Further recommendations

Reading through what you just wrote, feel good about writing it. Don't interpret and attach too much meaning to what you wrote. There's no face value. You just exercised your mind, and your mind can come up with some funny, weird stuff.

• Remain detached and non-judgmental.

I usually just erase whatever I wrote.

This is a similar principle to what Tibetan Buddhists do after they first spend days creating a colored sand painting (sand mandala) only to destroy it shortly after its completion.

It symbolizes the impermanence of life.

Just as the impermanent cycle of life, you can always create another mindfully written document. Anyway, it's just 5 minutes of your life, not 5 days.

This exercise warms up the mind and fingers, and makes it easier to remain mindfully detached from your expectations and self-judgment as you turn to other activities.

And they don't have to concern writing.

• It's the calm, detached, and accepting mindful attitude that truly matters.

A writer's block/thinker's block, any block at all, only becomes a block if you're too focused on the problem, too close and attached to it.

Mindful detachment gives you a different perspective and lets you be flexible, dynamic, and open to new solutions.

Grow detached from this mindfulness practice, too. Mindfulness is within you, not on paper.

Comments, suggestions?

Return from Mindfulness Practice to Mindfulness Exercises.

Go from Mindfulness Practice to Meditation Techniques Home.