Flow Writing

In today's session, Sarah Blondin will introduce you to the practice of Flow Writing. During this practice, you will write continuously for 10 minutes without stopping your pen to think, edit or contemplate. The aim of flow writing is to get beyond the sensored mind, the critical mind. Once you get past your inner 'editor', you begin to get in touch with what is really going on for you in your life. Don't worry if you think you don't have anything to say. Just let yourself flow.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to day four of Insight Timer's Building Healthy Habits Challenge.

Let's take a moment to get settled.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath in and exhale out.

Let's dive into today's healthy habit.

Hi,

And welcome to the Building Healthy Habits Challenge here on Insight Timer.

During this challenge,

You are getting to know a wide range of different wellness techniques and self-care practices to help you craft a routine that works for you.

My name is Sarah Blondin,

And today I'm going to be introducing you to something that has been a part of my morning routine for over 12 years.

It's the practice of flow writing.

So just to give you a brief understanding of what flow writing is,

It's setting a timer for 10 or more minutes,

Getting a piece of paper,

A pen,

And letting yourself flow.

And by flow,

I mean you are not stopping your pen at any time during this exercise to think or edit or contemplate.

The whole aim of the practice is to get beyond the censored mind,

The critical mind,

The editor.

And once you get beyond the critical censored mind,

You find the truth.

You begin to touch on what's really going on for you in your life.

I had this wonderful teacher say to me that we are born with a whole language,

And we only know half of it.

So the one half that I think we know well is this external world.

We know how to react and engage with what we see and what comes into our experience.

But there's this other inner world,

This inner language that we don't really have words for.

And flow writing for me has been a way to develop that language.

It's given me a way to discern and express and communicate with the sometimes difficult and challenging things that I go through.

It's really a way of connecting with you,

With your heart.

So the real gift of flow writing is to let yourself express what is maybe shameful,

Painful,

Something you're embarrassed of.

It's really about letting go of these things that we're often not allowing ourselves to experience and giving it a place.

And once it has its place,

It has its expression.

It's allowed to be said,

Felt,

And seen.

There's a spaciousness that we then gain within ourselves.

And once we are spacious,

We are more kind,

We are more available,

We are more present,

And we are often more loving.

Our inner worlds need care and attention.

And flow writing for me has been the way that I give myself that care and attention.

And because of it,

I have found myself and I have found the wisdom of my heart.

So we're going to practice together now.

I don't want you to stop your pen at any point.

If you do get stuck and you feel like there's nothing coming,

You can write,

There's nothing coming.

I am stuck.

Just let the mind continue to flow.

I'm going to give you a prompt today.

And that prompt is,

I don't remember.

So write,

I don't remember at the top of your notebook.

And I will time us for 10 minutes.

Go.

We'll answer every question that you get.

You you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you So I'm gonna ask you to just close up on your last thought there.

Your last sentence.

Wind down now.

And now I want to just take a pause with you so maybe just close your eyes if you'd like and put your hands on your heart.

You have just endeavored to connect with a more honest,

Uncensored version of yourself.

So I want you just to take a moment to just reflect on how that feels.

Notice what you noticed.

Was it easy for you?

Or was it hard?

Did it feel thick and slow?

Was there a lot of resistance?

Or were you just excited at the chance and the opportunity to run so wild?

To run so free?

Also,

Did you learn anything about yourself?

Did you remember something?

Did you find anything?

When we make things conscious in this way,

We actually begin to develop that other language,

The other half of our language.

We engage with the mystery of ourselves.

And in so doing,

It gets a lot more safe to feel.

There's a beautiful quote that I love by Haruki Murakami,

And he says,

I can bear any pain as long as it has meaning.

Flow writing has been just that for me.

It has helped me bear my human experience and given it meaning,

Given it worth.

And so it has infused my life with more love.

I'd love for you to share in the comments how this experience was for you.

So thank you so much for taking the time to take a glimpse at flow writing.

I do hope you continue to practice and discover what lives inside of you.

It's really a wonderful journey,

So be well and enjoy the rest of the challenge.

Reviews

I wrote a whole poem I didn't expect to come out of me, thank you so much. Hope to see more writing prompts like this❤️

Thank you Sarah! It's beautiful to have so much to write about 🙏

That sounded like it was going to be tough, but it did “flow!”

Thank you Sarah 🙏🏻🙏🏻.
I battle to write, journal things! This helped me realize that it’s hard for me to write my thoughts down.
Thank you 🙏🏻💫🤗

I just love this practise, but I keep forgeting - such a nice reminder to take up the Pen again & find inside 🌸
Thank you 🙏🕊

Fabulous thank you 🙏
Wonderful voice cadence and prompts 😍I’ve been doing this writing flow from your morning routine that you shared here on insight timer for just over a week now and love it 💃🤗🥰💞

I love this practice and I have used it and your morning writing practice many times. I would love to see more of these flow writing sessions. I find I need the prompt and the structure for my own practice. Thank you for sharing your gifts

I didn't stick to the prompt.. as something else came up. But I kept writing. This is beautiful. Thank you..

I’m loving the flow writing it’s very new to me, however I am putting my all into it and it is very freeing like I’m talking to someone who really gets me and understands, thank you Sarah your are an angel 🙏🏻

I journal almost daily but I really tried to just pour it out of me during this session and see what comes. It was freeing and I will interject this type of writing into my routine. I can feel the benefits and would like to release more this way. Thank you

Merci pour cette merveilleuse méditation d’écriture. Ça m’a fait beaucoup de bien et m’a apporté du calme

What a great challenge. I've never just written "stuff" before without editing it or thinking about it. I always have a concern though that other people will find what I've written. This has happened to me twice in my life before with dire consequences, so I'm wondering what people do with their journals. Do you throw the notes away? I would do more journalling, but I worry about this happening again. One cannot be totally open and vulnerable with the worry that someone will read your innermost thoughts.

I more easily forget things when I’m under pressure. This is a new insight.

Thank you 🙏🏻 Looking forward to continue and get to know this other part of me better 🙏🏻

I remembered it safe to love others and myself with resistance ...and all the love I thought I threw away from fear has never left .. it's waiting for me to remember. Thank you Sarah so much . 💖

Wow that was such a gift! Between the gentle guidance and the incredible prompt, I felt so free and open. Insights were truly spilling out of me.

So beautiful! I love this practice and will absolutely continue it

You are my absolute favorite, you hit home on every track. So deeply powerful to listen as I go through my own awakening. I am grateful to have you, thank you 🙏🏻

A remarkable discovery of self through flow writing.....opened a door into a world of freedom and abandon. Thank you Sarah.

Beautiful and simple. I will use this and share it.
Deep sadness from my recent loss welled up and dripped on the pages, but my deepest desire to "remember" not only her magnificence but to simply have a better memory in general, an consition II find shame in. I prayed in this, and re-dedicated myself to seaking answers and recieving them.

I will do this daily...but partnof me wants to do it again now lol.
Blessing, as always Sarah❤️