faq’s

Embodied writing is a writing practice rooted in the sensory, felt experience of being in a body (as opposed to the oversteering of thoughts, ideas, or concepts). Like the body itself, it can be unruly, messy, sensual, unpredictable. Embodied writing is not necessarily writing about the body but writing from the body. I like to call it a “getting-out-of-my-own-way” kind of writing; it is the practice I return to again and again when I feel like my words are becoming overdetermined and heady.

Everyone who has a body! It’s as valuable a practice for poets as it is for academics as it is for people who have never considered themselves writers by any stretch of the imagination.

It is my firm belief that everyone has a writer within, just as yoga is for every body. This practice welcomes those new and seasoned in either practices alike. Past Within participants have uncovered a writing voice they never knew they had; others recovered a joy and pleasure in the practice they haven’t been in touch with since grade school. I invite you to detach from labels and identifiers and to show up exactly as you are. You are ready, trust me.

That is the precise question this journey explores :) I can’t answer exactly what your yoga has to do with your writing—that is for you to discover through your body and this practice.

For me, I’ve found that yoga, breath and meditation help me drop in to my body and brush off the cobwebs of self-criticism, doubt, and trepidation, priming me for a clearer connection to my voice. It also awakens me to what I feel, allowing me to tap into the more sensory aspects of being, the place I feel most “me” writing from.

Each session focuses on one specific theme of embodied movement + writing—as we progress, we will peel back the layers. Asana, specific parts and networks of the body, meditations and guided writing prompts are crafted around the specific theme we are exploring. But think of the theme as itself a prompt—the rest is for you to create and explore with your own body and voice.

I open the doors to our virtual studio 10 minutes early for you to arrive, land on your mat, and for me to get a sense of the needs and energy of the group. We begin with a grounding practice, followed by a 30-45 minute asana practice (sweet and slow flow into Yin, connecting deeply with both physical and subtle bodies). After savasana, we transition to a pranayama exercise and a 10-15 minute guided meditation that integrates our asana and specifically primes us for our writing session. We will then write in solidarity together (I will provide prompts related to the theme, but what you write is for you and you alone) for ~20 minutes. Like any good savasana, if you are in a deep flow I will leave you to your writing, otherwise we will end with a community closing circle (which, I've found, is an integral part of the magic of this practice).

The purpose of the writing sessions is specifically to free ourselves from the gaze of anyone else. We are not writing “for” anyone, no imagined audience or critic. We are not writing to “produce” or to be witnessed. We are writing for the simple act of writing from the sensing body.

However, if you feel the tug to share your writing with the community, there are two spaces for doing so:

— our private online community platform (MightyNetworks)

— ‘spoken word’ circles (hosted once per Season)

No problem. All live sessions will be recorded and sent to you to practice on your own time during the week.

It is up to you whether you choose to practice live or on-demand. Some past participants of WITHIN have done the entire series via recordings and have found great benefit in adapting the practice to their unpredictable schedules (or time zones, for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere!).

Sessions will be lead in English, but I encourage you to write in whichever language you feel most embodied (for many, this is the mother tongue).

This course is, in many ways, a reverse-engineering of what I myself deeply crave in this season of life: exploring the relationship between yoga and writing and the body, in community with other inspiring humans. It was born in the midst of a heavy fall, in the midst of a pandemic and the fateful 2020 US elections. WITHIN Season 1 featured a group of 25 brave humans from around the world who showed up with curiosity, openness, and generosity. Since then, over 50 humans have joined our community, many of whom have practiced with me from WITHIN’s very beginning.

WITHIN Season 4 is as much a reflection of what I learned from this group as what I brought to the practice in the first place. The program is intuitive and iterative, shaped by its people. I believe communities have their own ‘collective effervescence’ and creative potential that exceeds any one individual — this energy is contagious, generative, and inspiring.

Yes! What a lovely gift. Write me at hello@liminalliety.com and we’ll make it happen.

Absolutely. At least half of the community is returning, in that they've participated in a prior season (or, for many, all of them!).

While we revisit some of the same themes in each Season, each time is slightly different, and many have found this revisiting a welcome opportunity to reflect on their own inner growth and to go even deeper. At the same time, I always incorporate new material inspired by the particular alchemy and needs of the group itself.

Returning participants of WITHIN also receive a discount for each Season.