Michael the Mindful Storyteller:
Mindfulness and the Art of Storytelling
Anger, Alienation, and Anxiety are the “illnesses of our modern age.” Thich Nhat Hanh**
Mindfulness is a way to combat these illnesses. Deep Storytelling and True Story Listening call for Authentic Presence, as well as Wonder and Imagination. In this way, Storytelling and Story Listening are inseparable from MINDFULNESS.
Michael has been a Mindfulness Practitioner for over 25 years, and the Practice of Mindfulness is inherently woven into all of Michael’s Public Talks, Workshops, School Programs, Seminars, and Storytelling Performances. Upon request, Michael introduces specific simple and effective Mindfulness Practices into any of his programs.
Mention your interest in MINDFULNESS when you CONTACT US regarding our programs and we’ll be sure to include Mindfulness Practices as part of your programming.
For more information on MINDFULNESS and Michael’s School Programs see the links below:
Mišhko Mícheál also offers specific programs that especially focus on Mindfulness, such as…
• The Mindfulness for Families Workshop (Co-taught with Michael’s spouse Ali)
• CounterAct Bullying: The Power of Mindfulness
• A Mindful Christmas: Seven Yuletide Traditions Worth Preserving
• Mindful Storytelling & Deep Story Listening in the Era of Global Climate Change
• Screen Addiction: A Mindful Response
For those with a personal interest In Mindfulness Practices, Michael also offers One-on-One Mindfulness Coaching. CLICK HERE for details…
• One-on-One Mindfulness Coaching
MICHAEL, MINDFULNESS, & STORYTELLING: The word “mindfulness” was not part of common vocabulary usage in the 1940’s, but listen to Ruth Sawyer writing of the work of the storyteller in her 1942 classic The Way of the Storyteller.
Sawyer speaks of the problem of storytellers who are “unmindful.” She says that the worthy storyteller must “intend the mind,” and, at the same time, offer not just “a clever sharing of the mind alone, but rather a sharing of heart and spirit.”
Mindfulness is awareness. Ruth Sawyer speaks of the storyteller’s work as “the building of spiritual awareness,” as well as “that personal awareness of words, that delight in the sound, the color, the variety they afford.”
To be mindful is to be alive and present in this moment. Sawyer describes storytelling as “a living art.” The storyteller must know “when to hurry, when to go with slow deliberation; when to pause, to hold the word that that which comes after may make its imprint of beauty, of wonder, of strength.” This is not about “technique;” Sawyer writers a whole chapter on abolishing technique. This is about making a story “live during the moment of its telling.” Every aspect of the storyteller’s work, and every invitation to the story listener, is a calling to mindfulness.
Michael O’Malley has been a Mindfulness Practitioner for over 25 years. He has worked as a Professional Storyteller and Public Speaker for 24 years. Mindfulness has always been built into Michael’s Public Talks, Workshops, Seminars, and Storytelling Performances. Upon request, Michael now teaches specific “tried and true” Mindfulness Practices with any of his programs.
For pricing, scheduling, or further details on these and other programs, CONTACT US.
** “Anxiety is the illness of our age…WITH THE PRACTICE OF MINDFULNESS, we will know that hearing this, looking at that, or touching this, we feel light and peaceful, while hearing that, looking at this, or touching that, we feel anxious, sad, or depressed.” – Thich Nhat Hanh