Instructions for Living: A GUTS Embodied Writing

Single Day Writer 

What you'll get:

• Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.

  — Mary Oliver

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  Story is medicine. Attention is prayer. Astonishment is our birthright.

  This year, GUTS is offering something new: a four-session embodied writing journey shaped around Mary Oliver's three instructions — and one more, for what you do with the astonishment once you've caught it.

  Rooted in the teachings of Audre Lorde, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, David Whyte, and Parker Palmer, and threaded throughout with the wonder-practice of Mary Oliver, this year invites you to write from your body, listen to the land, and let your life speak.

  • Practice attention as a discipline of love
  • Descend into astonishment and the wild interior
  • Break silence and speak your truest speech
  • Carry your work into the world as vocation and offering

  No writing experience needed — just a willingness to listen deeply and stay open.

  A note for seasoned writers: There will be time each afternoon to work on the piece you're already in. The morning ceremonies, rituals, and practices will deeply influence the writing you carry with you.

  What to Expect

  • Guided yoga to prepare the body for storytelling
  • Personalized writing instruction/conferring
  • narrative/poetry/memoir
  • PROTECTED writing time in small nooks around Earth Eagle Somatics
  • Snack-lunch provided (charcuterie, fruits, veggies, nuts...)
  • Traditional Turkish water circuit practices to soothe and open the mind/body
  • Sauna or sunning
  • Mindful walking
  • Cold plunge in Reservoir or Cold Plunge Tub 

What You Need for the Day

Please arrive without any lotion, makeup or perfumes/oils on (for sauna)

-Laptop and charging cord

-Comfy yoga clothes/mat

-Walking shoes/warm socks/coat/hat/gloves for mindful trail walk as prewriting

-Tea mug/water bottle

-Journal/favorite pens

-Swimsuit/towel for embodied water circuit (sauna, hot tub, cold plunge --all optional!)

-Anything you might need AFTER the water circuit to feel cozy (face products, lotion...)