Let This Poem Be A Hand Upon Your Shoulder – Poetry Therapy Workshop

This workshop offers the opportunity to explore and deepen your interoceptive awareness through yoga practices, including gentle movement, breathwork, meditation, Yoga Nidra, and then builds on this “embodied learning” with reflective writing. No prior experience is required.

Even though it’s less familiar than our external senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch), interoception, sometimes known as our “sixth sense”, plays a vital role in shaping emotional regulation and overall wellbeing. The better you are at accurately sensing your body’s signals, the more precisely you can interpret your feelings about a situation. This, in turn, can guide you in making wiser decisions about how to respond. This can influence our resilience to mental health challenges.

What to Expect
The yoga practice is suitable for all levels, with the freedom to move at your own pace and comfort. The writing requires no prior experience and serves as a personal tool for self-expression. Between yoga sessions, we’ll engage in short, guided writing bursts of about five minutes, using prompts to get started. This writing is purely for you—unfettered by grammar, spelling or any inner critic. You can follow the prompts or let your pen flow wherever it leads you.

Both yoga and writing are quiet, introspective practices, though there will be opportunities to share your experiences if you wish. Sharing your written work is optional, and any feedback is focused on how it resonates emotionally, rather than on style or technique. The workshop also includes a tea/coffee and cake break, where you can connect with others.

A Typical Morning Schedule (may vary slightly)
9:30–10:40: Yoga movement and breath practice
10:40–11:10: Prompts, writing and discussion
11:10–11:30: Tea/coffee break with cake
11:30–11:50: Meditation (chairs available)
11:50–12:10: Prompts, writing and discussion
12:10–13:00: Yoga Nidra deep relaxation and final writing session

Please Note
This workshop is designed as a therapeutic practice for personal wellbeing, not as therapy or a creative writing course. My role is not that of a therapist or writing critic. The focus is on self-exploration and expression, though your writing may inspire ideas for future development.

In this 2-day, online workshop dedicated to the senses, Apple Barn founders Natasha and Tamzin will be joined by deep listening expert Mike Edwards who will guide us in listening to the sounds of May, as springboards for our writing.

Participants will be encouraged to use their ears to feel into season and place, and to get to know both more fully through the sounds and writings that emerge. During each session, there will be an opportunity to spend some time away from the computer to focus on the sounds of the places we find ourselves in.

Access to the outdoors is not necessary but can be included in the listening sessions if available. Places are limited for this workshop to ensure we are a small group with space for everyone to share, if they’d like to. We welcome writers of all backgrounds and abilities and look forward to listening and writing with you.

-Two day workshop: May 3rd & 4th 2025

-2-5pm UK time each day

-Online via Zoom

In this session, we turn our attention to the inner awareness of mental activity.
In yoga and meditation, we aim to develop the capacity to observe or witness the mind’s activities, recognising that we are not defined by our thoughts or feelings. This practice of witnessing is a lifelong journey. Yet, as anyone who practices mindfulness or meditation knows, it often feels like an endless return to the breath, accompanied by the chatter of the “monkey mind” and the commentary of the inner critic.
Freewriting, integrated with yoga and meditation, offers a powerful tool for navigating this mental chatter. It helps us make sense of what arises, allowing us to notice and gradually loosen the grip of unhelpful thought patterns. This combination of practices helps us make steady progress in taming the monkey mind and the inner critic, creating more ease and clarity in daily life while also freeing us for creative expression.
What to Expect
The yoga and meditation practice is suitable for all, including beginners. You will be encouraged to move at your own pace and comfort. Chairs are available for seated practice. The writing requires no prior experience and serves as a personal tool for self-expression. Writing takes place in short, guided bursts of about five minutes, using prompts to get started. This writing is purely for you – unfettered by grammar, spelling, or any inner critic. You are free to follow the prompts or let your pen flow wherever it leads you.
There will be opportunities to share your experiences if you wish, but sharing your written work is entirely optional. Any feedback focuses on emotional resonance rather than craft. The workshop also includes a tea/coffee and cake break, where you chat with each other. The venue is beautiful, spacious with a garden we can use for our break if the weather is good enough!
Typical Morning Schedule (may vary slightly)
9:30–10:40 – Slow, mindful yoga movements and breathing
10:40–11:10 – Writing prompts, writing, and discussion
11:10–11:30 – Tea/coffee break with cake
11:30–11:50 – Meditation
11:50–12:10 – Writing prompts, writing, and discussion
12:10–13:00 – Yoga Nidra and final writing session

Note
This is a therapeutic practice for personal wellbeing, not therapy or a creative writing course. The focus is on self-exploration and expression, not critique. My role is not that of a therapist or writing critic. While your writing may inspire ideas for future development, the emphasis is on personal reflection and discovery.

Details
• Date: Saturday,31st May 2025
• Time: 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
• Location: Whirlow Hall, Sheffield