Writing it out

I wrote an affirmation out by hand this week, and it took me straight back to school.

Did you ever get lines to write at school?

We were pretty canny.

We worked out that if the line was short enough, you could hold three or four pens at once and write three or four lines in one go. So we had one teacher who started giving us really long lines.

Do you still write things?

Does a pen ever end up in your hand, or is it all keyboard, or text, or that swype thing on your phone?

When we write by hand, it can be a way of slowing down.

We have to form the letters, so the mind comes along with the hand.

One small Norwegian study found more connection between different parts of the brain when people wrote by hand than when they typed.

I've noticed that when I slow my writing down, I notice more.

When I slow down enough, I remember the stillness I'm looking for is already inside me.

On the page I'm slower, and that's when I'm best at listening to my inner voice.

The same thing happens when we get still in meditation, we can hear that quiet inner whisper.

The good news is you don’t have to sit down and meditate to find it.

Next time you’re waiting for the kettle or standing at the sink, stop for a moment. Let your shoulders drop. Notice the next thing you hear. That’s enough to begin hearing the quiet inner whisper.

I’ve shared the full practice below for Soul Support members, along with the affirmation I’ve been using. It is there if you want to go deeper but

You don’t need any of that to begin.

A pause is enough to start.

Lx