The 4 Mindful Poetry Books You Need to Elevate Your Wellness Routine In 2024
Today let’s get inspired with a review of The 4 Mindful Poetry Books You Need to Elevate Your Wellness Routine In 2024
Many people ask me to recommend the best mindfulness, spirituality and wellbeing poetry books. And so today I’m sharing some of my favourite mindfulness and meditation inspired poetry books that I think you might like too. Once you’ve seen the mindfulness poetry book recommendations bellow, head over HERE to see my pick of the best celebration and fun themed poetry books too. They’re perfect for holiday and festive occasions.
First Things First: How To Read Poetry For Wellbeing
If you’re a regular reader of Emma Mills London you’ll know that I LOVE poems. I read poetry every day for fun and I read poetry as part of my work too. I’m a visiting lecturer at Westminster University on the topic of poetry therapy, which is part of the psychology BSc degree syllabus. I also include poetry in my meditation lessons.
Speaking of the wellbeing benefits of poetry, a client of mine recently said: ‘I’ve thought a lot about the poem we shared last week at the workshop. In fact, yesterday I was out walking and found everything so much more beautiful. I was really looking at the trees and the leaves and truly hearing the sound of the wind.’ We both agreed that reading poetry makes one more receptive to beauty not just in art, but in other corners of the day too. Aren’t we lucky to have poetry in our lives!
So, so lovely! And now it’s time for us to give it a go.
To begin with give your poem a read all the way through. Remember you don’t have to analyse it like you might have done back at school, pulling it apart line by line and so on. There is a place for that kind of intellectual-analytical thinking, but that’s not how we’re going to do it today. Instead give the poem a read and then set the book down.
Let it percolate a little. Let the poem swirl around, let it take you on a small journey. Consider how it makes you feel, what it says to you and what feelings, questions, knowings or meanings it leaves you. The best thing to do then is to follow your interest and read the poems that appeal to you most.
Just as with visual art, sometimes you like a poem even if you don’t know what it means. And that’s ok. I think that’s what the poet T. S. Eliot meant, when said:
‘Real poetry communicates before it is understood.’
The 4 Mindful Poetry Books You Need to Elevate Your Wellness Routine In 2024
1. Soul Food, Nourishing Poems For Starved Minds
Edited by Neil Astley and Pamela Robertson-Pearce
The back cover of this truly wonderful book reads: ‘Soul food is a feast of thoughtful poems to stir the mind and feed the spirit. Drawn from many traditions ranging from Rumi, Kabir and Blake to Rilke, Emily Dickinson and Mary Oliver as well as many lesser-known writers from all periods and places.’
The anthology opens with a series of poems on human life and spiritual sustenance, including the ever popular ‘This Being Human Is A Guest House’ from the poet Rumi. If you’re interested in yoga, meditation or mindfulness or if you are interested in spirituality, self discovery and the meaning of life you will love this little anthology.
2. One River Many Creeks
Edited by Valerie Bloom
A stunning anthology of poems from around the world chosen by Valerie Bloom who is a fantastic poet in her own right. The back cover of this lush collection reads: A fantastic collection of multicultural poems spanning continents and centuries.
One tree so many leaves one tree one river so many creeks all are going to one sea
Dobrew Rivales, Surinam
In this book you’ll find a variety of poems covering topics such as: nature, moving to different countries, growing up and childhood, fruit, art and family. One thing I love about this anthology is that while many of the poems resonate deeply and speak to something very essential in me, on the surface they remain playful and easy to read.
101 Poems To Get You Through The Day Or Night
Edited by Daisy Goodwin
Daisy Goodwin has quite a few of these small square little poetry anthologies out. Small and compact, they’re easy to carry around in your bag or just to have on the side at home. The back cover reads: This is an anthology designed to help you get through the stresses of modern life. For rapid and effective relief around the clock without side effects try a poem, for whatever time of day you can be sure that some poet has been there too.
And isn’t that just the case? This little book supports you through a range of conundrums, such as: getting a job, making friends, getting out of bed and having children. I particularly like the much anthologised poem Ithaca by C. P. Cavafy, which begins ‘as you set out for ithaca hope your road is a long one full of adventure full of discovery.’ As well as many of the smaller, fun poems like Credit Lines by Odgen Nash.
A Nature Poem For Every Night Of The Year
Edited by Jane Mcmullan Hunter
Last but not least let’s talk about A Nature Poem For Every Night Of The Year edited by Jane Mcmullan Hunter. So again it’s a mixed anthology of poets and poems but this time organised by days of the year. You have one poem for every night of the year and it takes you through the seasons: from winter, through spring, summer and autumn.
I don’t generally read poetry at bedtime because I find it quite exciting and invigorating. But these poems are lovely for bedtime, I think that’s because of the nature element. Nature and nature poems can help you feel quite calm and grounded. Whereas, in the daytime you might exist in a world of ideas and meetings, emails, concepts, story lines and social media, nature brings you back to something real, something very grounding. I think you’ll really enjoy this book if you treat yourself to a copy. Luckily for me, somebody bought me a copy for my birthday last year.
The 4 Mindful Poetry Books You Need to Elevate Your Wellness Routine In 2024
And there you have it. The 4 Mindful Poetry Books You Need to Elevate Your Wellness Routine In 2024
If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy this lush yoga inspired poetry reading + my latest mindfulness and self help audio book review.
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