Under Water Tumble

Under water tumble and ride
Feel the flow and the tide
- relax your body,
open your mind -
The rolling adventure will subside.

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Under Water Tumble is the result of a writing practice one afternoon. Recently I have been writing as a practice, kind of how people practice yoga or meditation. Firstly, I allocate 10 minutes per day (or as often as I can) to choose a starting point and just write. I then write anything, it doesn’t matter, I just keep the pen moving and let no distractions stop me. It’s important to ignore margins and punctuation boundaries, I do not worry for spelling or grammar. I just write.

I find through the practice of writing I am able to explore my mind freely and relax into my work; instead of forcing words out, they take form on the page.

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Freeing the writer within – Natalie Goldberg

A dear friend of mine introduced me to Natalie Goldberg’s book Writing Down the Bones. This book has become my manual and guide in writing; it never leaves my bedside table. Through this I discovered the art of writing as a practice, which has consequently diverted by style and deliverance hopefully for the better. Goldberg encourages first thoughts and keeping the hand moving, whilst combining real life with meditated zen ideology. Part of this book is obviously focused towards becoming a better writer. However, there is an underlying theme of self-care and knowing oneself in order to create a happier life.

Through practising writing as a meditation I am continuing on a path of self-development and self-love discovery. In short, I hope to achieve a more balanced mind and ego, to tame my anxieties and develop as a better human.

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Under Water Tumble in a Writing Practice

I will share some extracts from this particular writing practice which gave Under Water Tumble. Please keep in mind this is raw material recorded by pen on paper, how writing should be done…

I passed through the gateway to the ocean, my entrance perfect. Zero flaws, fast and strong with purpose.
Every stroke squeezing in just to remind me of the safety…
Every paddle pulls me closer to the breaking waves. They begin to show their true size as I get closer.

Blue.
Blue, blue water as far as you can see.

The wave crashed on top of me, pushed me down – deep – picked me back up and rolled me over again…I didn’t know which way was up or down. All light had gone.
I am underwater, held like a prisoner by the sea.

The horizon is blocked by another wall of water. One last sip of air…

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