The Mindful Creative Writing Method™: Published and released on September 4, 2025.

version 1.0

Hi all,

I’m introducing the Mindful Creative Writing Method™ to my communities and network. My hope is that this resource will be helpful for facilitators, educators, and trainers around the world.

There has been extensive demand for my writing workshops, and I would like to grow access to them. However, I do not have the physical capacity to do so. After years of development I’ve decided to release a semi–open-source standard under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license with the following conditions:

  • Attribution (credit: Mindful Creative Writing Method with link to this webpage)
    NonCommercial use only

  • Adaptations must be shared under the same terms

You can see the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

If you’d like to use the curriculum in a way that falls outside these permissions—or if you’d like to collaborate on an application—I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me via this form.

What makes this useful and unique

The Mindful Creative Writing Method™ is a definable, repeatable, 3-5 step instructional framework. It is distinct from general/generic writing or mindfulness standards in that it:

  • Integrates multigenerational and indigenous traditions rooted in the Himalayan mountains in India.

  • Incorporates martial arts discipline with input from two black belt martial artists into the rhythm and rigor of the prompts.

  • Applies a research-based foundation, drawing from educational psychology—specifically the Pygmalion Effect, which links support and encouragement to goal attainment.

  • Bridges philosophy, pedagogy, and practice, intentionally assembled as a method for writing—not borrowed, referenced, or sourced from creative writing classes or other pre-existing curricula.

  • Ideal for any age, from K-12 through post-graduate and lifelong learning (i.e corporate and enrichment learning).

How it came to be

Over the last decade, my co-founder Justin and I have been collaborating to build our publishing, educational, and consulting business, thousands of learners and dozens of educators have expressed how tough it is to create a writing experience that supports the neurodiversity of our modern world.

I set out to solve that problem in 2013, beginning with teaching in various settings: K–12 schools, universities, graduate programs, and corporations. Meanwhile, Justin embarked on building mindfulness programming, including collaborating with our colleague Devon Pipars—who spent four years studying traditional mindfulness in the Himalayan Mountains.

In 2020, after becoming aware of the U.S. reading comprehension crisis, I began taking free master’s-level education courses at the University of the People, which is the world’s first open source university. I focused my studies on inclusive, cross-cultural classroom management techniques. This was my COVID lockdown activity.

By 2022, I began teaching the method again, and since then I’ve continued teaching consistently—both virtually and in real life—through 2025. You can see a few examples of that evolution here: luma.com/user/WriteWithRitika.

Here are some in-person examples, so you can see the variations:

  • Wine, Cheese, and Mindful Writing Happy Hour at 9Zero Innovation Hub SF in August 2021.

  • Youth and Peace Summit 2024 in Arizona, in collaboration with Higher Ground: A Resource Center.

  • Kodiak Healthcare CFO Summit 2024, in Nashville, in collaboration with the Kodiak Solutions team.

Throughout this process, Justin has worked with me hand-in-hand, advising on the production of the curriculum at every incremental step.

The common theme I hear directly from learners is this: they need a welcoming, psychologically safe space for critical thinking and reflection.

It’s important to note that my method has never incorporated material from other writing groups, classes, or experts. With a commitment not to appropriate, I have never participated in a writing workshop, Although… I do look forward to beginning that journey one day, especially now that my method has been released. What I have learned since graduating college with a degree in literature under the guidance of my thesis advisor, prominent author Adam Bradley in addition to my lead instructor Teri Lee at Sunnyvale Martial Arts Academy. For the past 16 years, I’ve spent at least 4 hours writing almost every day, 7 days a week.

In the near future, I will publicly acknowledge and thank all of my English, writing, mindfulness, and philosophy teachers, after I have the chance to consult with them one-on-one, to learn how they might want to benefit from what I have developed. I believe in not only giving credit to educators but creating conditions for economic prosperity. It is a great injustice that educators are both heavily disrespected and under-funded.

Why I’m releasing the Mindful Creative Writing Method™

I’ve spent years deliberating whether and how to share this. Should I monetize it directly? Would people want it?

A couple of weeks ago, in an online mindfulness certification that I am completing, I was reflecting on how the Indian population was forced to practice meditation and yoga customs in secret during the 90 years of British rule. I realized I had always taken for granted the rich culture passed down to me. With expanded awareness, many missing pieces of my own life began to make sense.

As I continued teaching this practice, people repeatedly told me that the technique helped them—a lot.

So I’ve decided to publish it, to the best extent of accessibility possible with the resources and knowledge I have today. My hope is for it to grow into something bigger than what can exist within the constraints of our present capitalistic system.

Please note: This is not a mental health tool

The Mindful Creative Writing Method™ belongs under the discipline of education, not therapy or mental health. I am not a mental health practitioner, nor have I sought consultation from healthcare experts. I am, however, an experienced coach and teacher.

Why this license?

My ultimate goal is to fully open source a version of this curriculum. But there is more diligence and learning required, in order to do so responsibly. For now, I’ve chosen a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 license because:

  • I want to prevent misuse and exploitation.

  • I want to protect against the uncredited commercialization of mindfulness practices.

  • I want to remain accountable and able to track where and how this curriculum is being used.

  • I want to be extra-sure that I’m not copying anyone else.

I am putting my name on it with an owner’s mindset—as a steward and shepherd.

If you feel I am infringing

The world is vast, with many ways of practicing writing and mindfulness. Everyone is entitled to their own approach. If you see overlap with your own process, please let me know.

I am committed to conducting ongoing, rigorous research (drawing on my graduate-level training in research methodology) to ensure this work does not claim ownership of indigenous practice or unintentionally appropriate someone else’s culture.

If something doesn’t sit right with you, I want to hear about it, so I can strengthen my approach and give you the space to protect your own.

If you’re running a workshop, group, course, or community that looks similar

That’s wonderful. I’d love to hear from you, compare similarities and differences, and make sure credit is shared appropriately within the context that we learn about each other’s work. My intent is not to step on toes, but to elevate others’ work and contribute to a wider community of practice.

There are many ways to combine mindfulness and writing, and space for all of them.

How to attribute

When referencing or adapting this work, please use the following attribution:

This curriculum is based on the Mindful Creative Writing Method.

For digital use, please include a hyperlink to this webpage.

For print use, include the full text and link.