Yoga and Writing Retreats in Mexico
with Charles MacInerney
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Workshops
 Writing
Workshops are designed for the serious writer, the amateur
writer and the yoga student who is open to the idea of
trying something new. Regardless of experience, all writers
and would be writers will enjoy and benefit from these
workshops. The primary objective is to encourage the natural
voice of beginning writers and professional writers alike,
and encourage them to write from body, mind and spirit.
Charles will lead these workshops,
assisted by one or more writing facilitators. He draws
on the techniques of Amherst Writers and Artists, to create
a supportive space for writers to generate new writing,
hone their craft, overcome writer's block and enjoy revising
their work.
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 Above,
Writers gather together for a visualization and meditation
exercise that leads into a writing exercise.
Right, participants are given 45-60
minutes to find a quiet corner to write
Below, participants gather together
after they finish writing into one of several more intimate
response groups.
In all of his retreats and workshops,
Charles encourages the use of certain "rules" in responding
to new writing. New writing which has not been edited is like
a new baby: its vulnerable and easily damaged by negative
judgments. To maintain a safe, confidential, sacred space
in which to write -
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- Writers are free to ignore
the suggested exercises in favor of writing on their own.
- Assume that every piece is
fiction not auto-biographical, unless told otherwise.
- Remember this is not a therapy
group, comment on the writing, not the writer.
- Honor the writer by listening
carefully.
- Stick to discussing the writing
and avoid discussing our own anecdotes and asides.
- Response groups are invited
to comment on shared writing with only what we like, what
stays with us, what moves us - not with how to make it
stronger.
 The
joining of body and mind can open pathways into the feelings,
memories, stories and images embedded in the tissues.
Writing workshops during the retreat are designed to help
you shift your awareness and write from those deeper levels
of consciousness. Through Hatha Yoga, we will get in touch
with our kinesthetic sense of self. We will use special
meditation techniques to slow the mind and create a sense
of the sacred. No writing or yoga experience is required
- only a sense of adventure. Beginning and experienced
writers will find a supportive, encouraging context in
which to write from their deepest selves. We will write
in response to exercises offered by Charles or his assistants.
In a small group, writers will be invited to read their
work aloud, and the group will offer simple affirmations
of what is done well and what stays in the memory.
Groups usually decide to meet
out doors, but occasionally choose to use the living room
area of Los Naranjos instead, especially in the evenings
if better lighting is required.
As with the yoga classes and
the meditation sessions, all workshops are optional, and
often students choose to use this time to explore, or
take a nap in a hammock.
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