Shining From Within Retreat

Hello Inside-Outers!!! While I'm revamping Inside Out Writing Workshops, I have a wonderful opportunity for you. See below. It's well worth the cost and time. I'm so excited by it! **************************************************************** Shining From Within A day retreat to awaken Mind, Body and Spirit Host: Melissa Simonson, Lisa Marie Brodsky, and Tatsiana O'Neill Time and Date: Sunday, March 8, 2009 Time: 8:00am - 5:00pm Location: Holy Wisdom Monastery Street: 4200 County HWY M City/Town: Middleton, WI Contact InfoPhone: 608.216.9845 Email: igniteyourvoice@gmail.com In this one-day retreat for women, Spiritual Life Coach, Melissa Simonson of Ignite Your Voice Coaching, Lisa Marie Brodsky, M.F.A, creator of “Inside Out Writing Workshops,” and Tatsiana O’Neill, owner of It’s All About You, Yoga and more, LLC will combine their gifts to create an opening for you to listen to your body’s wisdom, use the creative process as a tool for self-nurturing and discovery, and make choices in alignment with your soul. After a day of experiencing the fun and freeing power of Kripalu Yoga Dance, diving into powerful inquiries, using creative writing to take you deeper, and connecting with other magnificent women, you will leave feeling empowered, more aware and equipped with the tools to manifest joy in your life, NOW. Please join us for this glorious opportunity to dance your dreams, ignite your passion, and express your wisdom as you shine from within. Cost: $125 or $100 when signing up with a friend Contact Melissa with questions and to register: igniteyourvoice@gmail.com or 608-216-9845. Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 4th. About the facilitators: Melissa Simonson sees it as her life's work to be an authentic expression of her inner truth, and to assist others in being the same. As a Spiritual Life Coach, Astrologer, and Inspirational Speaker, Melissa creates a space of fun and acceptance as she invites her clients to discover the extraordinary within their everyday lives. By asking powerful questions and bringing the spiritual down to earth through her own stories, she helps individuals realize that joy and abundance are not impossible to obtain, but rather a birth-right that we can realize at any time. Visit http://www.igniteyourvoice.com to learn more. Lisa Marie Brodsky received her Master of Fine Arts in Poetry in 2005, and has since been published in numerous literary magazines along with her book of poetry entitled, “We Nod Our Dark Heads” (Parallel Press, 2008). In her “Inside Out Writing Workshops”, Lisa Marie teaches writing techniques in order to facilitate healing and magical self-discovery. Bringing openness and deep compassion, she creates a loving space for participants to discover and express the beautiful people that they truly are. Visit: http://insideoutwriting.blogspot.com to learn more. Originally born in Grodno, Belarus, Tatsiana (Tanya) O’Neill moved to the U.S. as a student in 2004. Following a background in dance, she fell in love with Yoga as a restorative and spiritual practice, and received her certification as a Kripalu Yoga Instructor (200 hr) in 2007 and as a Yoga Dance Instructor in 2008. Tanya brings with her realness and grace as she invites her students to come as they are and discover the wisdom and joy that can be found within their bodies. Pouring her heart and soul into her teaching, Tanya makes it her goal to change the world, one student at a time. Visit http://www.itsallaboutyou-studio.com to learn more.

On Hiatus - but in transition

Hello all, For those curious, Inside Out is taking a short break. My next project is to combine Inside Out with Melissa Simonson's workshops. Melissa is a sensitive, intuitive, shining soul who infects everyone with joy. I can't wait to see what we come up with in thinking about a combined workshop. So far we are just in the talking stage, but I will update you once we have something. Until then, enjoy the Winter season and write write write! Lisa Marie

Next workshop - Nov. 22nd!

Thanks for being patient - I now have the next workshop set up. It is Saturday, November 22, 2008 2:00-4:30pm Avol's Used Books I want to expand the workshop a bit, make some changes (I'm always making changes and shaking things up a little)... what do YOU want to see in a creative writing workshop? I'd love to hear from you. Either write a comment or email me. Here's to expansion! Lisa Marie

10-25 Workshop Cancelled

Due to unforseen circumstances, the Avol's October 25 Workshop is cancelled. I will set up another workshop asap. Thanks, Lisa Marie

Avol's Workshop 10-25-08

Come One, Come All, to an Inside Out Writng Workshop on Saturday, October 25th at Avol's Used Bookstore. We'll uncover... We'll discover... We'll write and share (if you want to) and dig deep down inside ourselves. Email me at insideoutwriting@gmail.com to register. Looking forward to seeing you! Lisa Marie

While You're Away, Go On and Play!

This post will be dedicated to those participants who want to do a little extra after my workshop. It will consist of prompts and exercises to further your journey through creative writing and healing. You'll want to refer to this page often and I will often refer to this page as well. Please note that with some of these prompts and exercises, it is best to have taken my workshop to know what I mean when I say "x..y...z." So, on with the show! A Walk in the Dark (taken from Laura Cerwinske's "Writing as a Healing Art") You are undergoing an initiation in which you must walk blindfolded. It is up to you to choose the location, the person who can accompany you, and whatever you will bring along with you. Do you choose a beach, woods, suburban street, city sidewalk? Who will your partner be? Do you do this in bare feet, shoes, boots, or other protective footwear? What do you bring along with you, if anything? After completing this exercise, ask yourself: What did this assignment tell me about my sense of trust in another person and in my own senses? What did it tell you about the environments in which you feel safest, and your need (or lack of need) for planning and equipment? Me: I realize this may sound like a strange exercise for writing students/participants, but think about how tuned in you'll be. Tapped in, tuned in, turned on, as Abraham-Hicks says. You'll need to smell where you are, touch and hear. And above all, there's the trust issue. You have to let yourself become vulnerable and put your safety into another's hands. Remember, if this becomes too frightening, you can always say stop. But push yourself. Pick a trustworthy partner and feel your inhibitions leaving you. Walk proudly forward paying attention to every nuance. Collages aren't just for first-graders You betcha! I used this in a workshop once and it was wildly successful. We ran out of time so we couldn't process our collages or talk about them in detail so give yourself plenty of time. Get some magazines. I recommend Oprah Magazine, Victoria Magazine, Poets and Writers Magazine, Writer's Digest, any magazine that has pretty pictures that you like - maybe a gardening magazine or an interior decorating magazine. Now enter your inner child and use those scissors and cut out images and words that resonate with you. Glue them together onto a sheet of poster board. Do it however you want. This exercise has very little rules. You can do a collage that's like a "vision board" where you put things you'd like to see come to you on it. Your vision of your future. Or you can put pictures and words which represent you. Once you are finished, put it where you can see it. View it from different angles. Stay in touch with the feelings that came up during the process. Allow language to arise naturally as if the collage had a voice. Body Art Inspiration No, I don't mean permanent tatoos, although if you want to go there, that's fine with me. I mean picking a word that means a lot to you. That inspires you. I owe my word to my boyfriend. It was his word first, but as soon as I heard it, I knew I had to write it on my hand. Before I even met him, though, I used to write on my hand as a source of inspiration. Many a day at a certain job I hated I would write "the process of life supports me." Plain as day on the top of my left hand. Sure, people would look and ask. I'd say it's my mantra. My little bit to get me going. Here is a picture I took long ago of that hand: So my word these days is ENOUGH. I have had ENOUGH pain in my life. ENOUGH tragedy. I will go out and DO something about it! What word inspires you? It could be YES. It could be GRATITUDE. Be daring, be creative. You can use a phrase like I did long ago. Sure, it will wash off in the shower, but you can always reapply. :) I Remember... This writing exercise originated from the great writing teacher, Natalie Goldberg. I often use it in workshops to grease the palette. To take that first dive. Write "I remember" and just go wild. You can stick with one memory or you can dive into multiple memories. Be specific. Keep your pen to the paper. If you get stuck, write "I remember" over and over until something comes. If the memory of chicken noodle soup reminds you of that restaurant over on First Avenue but that memory all of a sudden reminds you of the radishes in the garden, GO WITH IT. Dare to be illogical. This exercise never gets old. It's like a true exercise: keep doing it to increase those muscles. And that, my friends, is the first installment of what to do after you come to my workshops. I'll be adding more ideas as we go along. And for those of you just browsing the site and who haven't come to a workshop, why don't you join us? It's always such a fun and bonding time. Go out there and write your hearts out. Lisa Marie

Televised Workshop Temporarily Postponed

If you've signed up for the July 13th workshop hoping to be on TV, sorry to disappoint you, but that date wont't work for channel 3. I'm still having the workshop at Mimosa and it is still free so I say, come on out anyway! Call Mimosa to register! I'll give you the date of the workshop that Channel 3 will attend as soon as I know it. Thanks for understanding! Lisa Marie

NEW WORKSHOP!

Sunday, July 13, 2008 is the next workshop, folks. I'm so excited because Susan Siman and Channel 3 are going to do a story on it, as I said in the last entry. I have no idea what her plans are - if she's going to film any of the workshop itself or only ask participants and myself to say a few words...I'll get back to you on that. Certainly, if anyone has a problem with being on camera you can either 1. stay off camera and opt not to speak to Ms. Siman 2. Come to the next workshop which will not be televised. :) In any case, it will be extremely exciting. Very graciously, Mimosa is offering its upstairs activity room for our use. It's my favorite place to hold my workshop. And best of all -- IT'S A FREE WORKSHOP! So why not sign up? Best, Lisa Marie

Inside Out on Channel 3!

Hi folks, Susan Siman from Channel 3 is interested in doing a story on Inside Out Writing Workshops. I need to find a venue and participants for this to happen. I think I have the venue, now I need the participants. Would you be willing to possibly be on television and say a few words about the workshop and how it has affected you? I don't know what Ms. Siman has in mind, so I don't know how much coverage, exactly, there will be. But when I get a venue and a date, I'll come back here and let you know. If you know ahead of time that yes, you'd like to participate, email me at insideoutwriting@gmail.com Thanks! Lisa Marie

Shannon's writing piece

I navigated the chuck holes and flooded streets, pensive- yet so excited to get to the writing workshop. Listening to PRI radio (ironically enough - they were interviewing authors that had written about death). The thought went through my mind "I am so relieved that this day is another opportunity- a blessed opportunity to encounter life, and the living, something new". I wondered what it would be like. As I listen to the other women here - I feel a sense of relief and comfort, at the safeness of each of the women's ability to share. Just a small sparkle, a glimpse of who they are-This is nice. Thank you God for getting me here. I am relieved. I am smiling inside and out. It feels nice to breath such a sweet essence. -- Shannon Howell