Inspiration Lounge
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If you are a dreamer,
come in,
If you are a dreamer,
a wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er,
a magic bean buyer...
If you're a pretender,
come sit by the fire
For we have some flax-golden
tales to spin.
Come in!
Come in!
—Shel Silverstein
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Raindrops on roses
and whiskers on kittens...
—The Sound of Music
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Inspirare (Latin, verb):
To breathe life into.
—Merriam-Webster
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Come as you are.
—Nirvana
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Welcome to Inspiration Lounge!
Inspiration Lounge is a free monthly online drop-in-&-out-whenever-you-like community space held via Zoom the first Saturday of the month from 1-3 pm Pacific / 2-4 Mountain / 3-5 Central / 4-6 Eastern.
The intention of Inspiration Lounge is to offer a space in which folks seeking inspiration—or simply seeking rest and nourishment—can come together and engage in whatever wants to happen for you, either solo or in collaboration—a space in which you are encouraged to follow your nourishing impulses and muses, with others following theirs, either onscreen or off.
We’ll start with a microscopic intention, then do the inspired/nourishing thing, either solo or with others (e.g. in a breakout room), and end with optional offerings out.
If curious, holler and I will add you to the email list: tylerthemindfultherapist@gmail.com
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Inspiration Lounge was originally inspired by the dharma art teachings & practices of Chögyam Trungpa. My original intention was to co-create a space in which one could give oneself unbridled permission to engage in the creative process—to create with abandon, to let the child inside be free free free to play play play. Then I realized my own child inside sometimes didn’t have the energy or desire to create or play, but instead longed to pause and take a nap, or go for a walk and notice the trees, or be in the same space with others who are doing creative things but not necessarily want to engage or even be seen... And so the vision expanded beyond the creative realm to total freedom, in the spirit of the prompt my own therapist has offered me time and again:
Nothing needs to happen here; what wants to happen here?
And the question I’ve learned to ask inside:
What do you need, little one? What would be most nourishing, right here and now?
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A sample of what Inspiration Lounge might look like on any given occasion: I am taking a nap with one eye open to let peeps into the zoom, while Dina is collaging, while Dave is baking, while Malika is composing a song on the harmonium, while Andrew is memorizing a poem, while Sam is getting a massage from the cat, while Rex is painting, while Jamie is creating a new page for her website, while Graham is filming himself on a jog, while Jesse is reading an article in the Atlantic, while McNew is ironing out his Beethoven’s 6th chops on the trombone, while Mike is prepping a talk for an astrology conference, while Sandra is dancing to music only she can hear, while I am now rising from my nap, feeling nourished and newly inspired to compose a cut-up poem, while Ellie is livestreaming her & the girls skiiing, while Scotter is diving, while Zuggy is mixing, while mom is walking the dogs, while dad is building a new swing, while on the train home Kiersten is on the train filming the landscape rolling by, while Ari is writing down the bones, while Sara starts a new book, while Winkie is making calls to representatives, while Carli practices Qigong, while in a breakout room Mia is being asked by Christina, “If I really knew you, what would I know?”
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Examples of what you might do during any given Inspiration Lounge: sketch · write · paint · play a musical instrument · collage · cook · dance · cut up poetry · blog · rest · nap · read · go outside · sense, look, listen to trees, bushes, birds, plants, the sun, earth, sky · workout · garden · nothing · meditate · breathe · be · research · organize · listen to a favorite song · listen to it on repeat · make a playlist · start a website · collaborate with others in a breakout room · film the landscape rolling by · plan a trip · sit in a peaceful place · write a thank you card · drink a hot drink · listen to an audio book · walk the dog · play with the cat · fix something · clean something · stretch · decorate · create a résumé · journal/diary · oh, the possibilities…
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I will send a confirmation email reminder and zoom link a few days prior as well as the morning of. Drop in & out at anytime and stay for as short or long as you like.
Maybe catch ya at the next lounge!
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p.s. Among other muses inspiring Inspiration Lounge:
In the space where there is nothing
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What inspires you?