Zenblog: April is U.S. National Poetry Month
If you don’t know already, April is National Poetry Month (NaPoMo) in the U.S. and U.K. (never mind that I’m actually in Japan :-). This year, to celebrate a love of all things literary and at the same time expand my pursuit of a mindful lifestyle, I have decided to combine a daily reading and meditation time into what will, hopefully, be a deep dive into poetry as a mindful practice.
Today, in the first instalment of this month-long reading meditation practice, I briefly want to explore what poetry can offer the mindful adventurer.
One of the biggest challenges in mindfulness practice is staying in the present moment. As you already know, there are many strategies for placing your thoughts and feelings in alignment with this single-minded goal: one of my favourites is mindful breathing.
(If you’re not already familiar with mindful breathing or other mindfulness techniques, don’t worry: we’ll get there in other Zenblog posts 🙂
Reading for mindfulness may be less common in the tradition, but mindful texts cross ages, cultures, and languages. There’s no lack of material to read to understand and induce a mindful state. Reading for mindfulness may be less common in the tradition, but mindful texts cross ages, cultures, and languages. There’s no lack of material online or, if you prefer the texture of paper, in print to read to understand and induce a mindful state.
You can begin right here with the poetry section at Mindfully Speaking, including work by Nick Birthday, Hanna Maria, Josh Chandler Morris, and Mindfully Speaking’s founder and editor Sylvia Clare MSc. Psychol, mindfulness teacher
Here, for example, is a link to a poem on mindful awareness during a forest stroll
Wherever we are on our mindful journey, reading — and writing — poetry has a lot to offer. By reading poetry mindfully, we can learn to stay present in the moment and explore our thoughts and emotions in a non-judgmental way. Poetry also provides a unique perspective on the human experience and the demands of the form can hold our attention in the moment as we seek the nuances of the language.
During National Poetry Month, let us take some time to immerse ourselves in the beauty and wisdom of poetry and see how it can enhance our mindfulness practice. You can follow along on my adventure by posts throughout the month of April.