- Event Date: 31/05/2025
The Monkey Mind & Inner Critic: Exploring Patterns of Mind with Yoga, Meditation and Writing
Event Details
- 09:30
- Whirlow Spirituality Centre, Whirlow Grange Close, Sheffield, S11 9SY
- From £40
Event Description
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
Please Note:
Other events you may like
The day will be experiential and give you an introductory foundation on how to use Gendlin’s FOCUSing process in combination with writing for wellbeing exercises. This will enable you to deep dive as a reflective writing practitioner and as a writing for wellbeing workshop facilitator. This is a unique way of offering deeper insights and new perspective on what is happening in your life/the lives of your clients. There is a £20 discount for Lapidus members. The day will be 10am till 4pm, with plenty of breaks in between. I’m happy to have an initial 15 minutes conversation with anyone who has queries.
Summer is a season that’s associated with sunshine and light, abundance and joy. Nature is in full leaf and adventure calls in the form of holidays, trips and time spent in nature. This Summer depth writing workshop will be a chance for you to press pause on the busyness of life and reflect on the seasons and cycles of your self-experience through the symbolism of Summer and its associations with abundance, adventure, playfulness and joy through a series of guided depth writing prompts.
What to expect
Depth writing is a transformational creative practice grounded in Jungian psychology, creative writing & reflective journaling aimed at facilitating creativity, supporting self-discovery and expanding possibility. It’s a process-focussed approach to writing rather than a product-focussed one, which means there’s no need to worry about spelling and grammar and there will be no pressure to read anything out (although you can if you wish).
This Summer depth writing workshop will include guided timed writing exercises of between approximately five and fifteen minutes as well as the chance to reflect on the process & any insights arising from it in small group discussions.
Who is it for?
This workshop is for writers, creative practitioners, seekers & inner explorers who are on a journey of self-discovery and who are comfortable with diving deeper.
Community guidelines
Everyone will be invited to:
Take responsibility for your own experience by working with the material at a level that feels right for you
Avoid over-disclosing any personal matter that is particularly private or painful
Practice CARE – Confidentiality, Attention, Respect & Empathy – with others.
Consider seeking outside support if anything particularly difficult comes up
Go in peace if the space is not serving you
About Dr Rachel Newsome
I’m a writer and creative guide with a PhD in applying Jungian Psychology to Creative Writing. I have over 20 years teaching as Lecturer and now lead depth writing workshops, courses & retreats underpinned by Jungian psychology focused on using writing & imagination to inspire the creative self in everyone. I’m a Seed Talks expert speaker, serve on the Editorial Team of the London Arts-Based Research Centre, co-Editor of forthcoming Routledge publication The Creative Psyche: Between Spirit & Matter and the creator of Depth Writing With Dr Rachel on Substack.
https://drrachelnewsome.substack.com/
https://rachelnewsome.co.uk/
- Lapidus Member Event Only
Mitigating Stress and Enhancing Creativity among Teachers in Croatia
Presenter: Emica Calogjera
Saturday 2nd August, 16:00pm-17:15pm.
Worldwide, stress and burnout persist as significant challenges for teachers, contributing to feelings of anxiety and depression. Burnout can have detrimental effects on teachers’ health and is a known risk factor for diminished physical and mental well-being. Understanding the prevalence and factors associated with stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression among educators is crucial for addressing this pressing public health issue. Kyriacou (2001) identifies seven common sources of stress encountered by teachers: students with negative attitudes towards school and lacking motivation, disruptive behaviour and general classroom management issues, rapid changes in curriculum and organizational structures, unfavourable working conditions, including issues related to promotions, time constraints, conflicts with colleagues and parents and a sense of undervaluation within society.
Taking into consideration these prevalent stressors, I have developed as a part of my CAPF training a series of bibliotherapy and poetry therapy interactive workshops specifically for Croatian language teachers in primary and secondary schools. These workshops focus on mindfulness, navigating transitions, fostering creativity, promoting a sense of belonging, and enhancing empathy, following the Hynes & Hynes-Berry (2012) four steps bibliotherapy process.
About the Presenter
Emica Calogjera Rogić graduated in Croatian Language and South Slavic Philology and holds a master’s in Comparative Literature from the University of Zagreb. She has taught in Croatia and abroad, including at the Sorbonne in Paris, and now works as editor-in-chief at Naklada Ljevak. Emica is currently training to become a Certified Workshop Leader in Bibliopoetry Therapy with the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry Therapy (IFBPT). As part of her certification, she created and led workshops for over 600 teachers in Croatia, focusing on stress prevention and creativity. She was also a partner in the first European bibliopoetry therapy conference in Budapest (October 2024).
Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85163678537
About the Lapidus Living Research Community
The Lapidus Living Research Community (LLRC) meets on the first Saturday of every month via Zoom to discuss all things research, with a focus on qualitative arts-based research practices, theory and methods.
All Lapidus members are welcome, regardless of research experience. FREE AND NO TICKETS REQUIRED. Use the Zoom link above to access the event.