Some people draw for fun, while some people draw to be relaxed. Drawing is a great escape for the mind. It helps divert your attention from whatever is bothering you right now and bring your focus on what you are currently doing. Here’s how drawing can bring you to a mindful state:
Mindful Drawing
Mindful drawing, also called as “meditative drawing”, is a mindfulness technique that trains your mind by bringing your attention and focus into drawing. It helps put the mind in a calm and stable state, stimulating your brain’s creative center. Mindful drawing is not just for artists or painters who are creative individuals. It is recommended for whoever want to achieve that state of awareness.
There are many ways to practice mindfulness and mindful drawing is just one of them. Attaining a mindful state through art can be done not just by drawing but also by doing simple activities like carving, crocheting, painting or anything that involves art. Keeping the hands busy is the way of drawing in bringing one’s focus on the present moment.
Benefits of Mindful Drawing
Mindful drawing has a lot benefits aside from keeping your mind and hand busy. Here are some things that you should know about its benefits:
- Helps you reconnect and reflect with your life
- Give you a sense of peace
- Stimulates the creative center of your brain
- Decreases the level of stress of anxiety
- Gives yourself some alone time
- Brings back your confidence and comfort
- Diverts your attention into something more productive
- Improves attention and ability to focus
Relaxing Drawing Exercises
Before practicing mindful drawing, you will need the following: colored pens, a sketchbook or notebook.
1. Attention and Awareness Circles
Any mindfulness activity requires you to sit down comfortably, relaxed and in a quiet and peaceful space. If you are ready, let’s start your attention and awareness circles exercise.
This activity only has 1 rule: Draw circles
1. Make sure that the circles that you draw are always closed and refrain from leaving it open. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t a perfect circle as long as it is closed. Keeping it closed is a sign that your full attention is on the activity that you are doing.
2. Keep your eyes focused on the tip of the pen while still being aware of the pen you are holding and the drawing that you are making.
3. Make sure to consciously think of the place where you will put the next circle on.
4. Repeat this step until you reached the certain picture that you had on your mind and bring yourself to be aware of the whole drawing process and the picture you created after.
2. Draw Your Breath
Hold the pen in between your fingers and bring your attention to your breath. Without trying to control the way you breath, start following the rhythm of your breathing. Let the pen follow the up and down rhythm of your breathing moving from left to right.
While drawing your breathing, bring your focus and attention on your breath and how you pause in between. Let you hand and fingers take care of the drawing while you are letting the sensation and emotions take over your body.
Keep your grip on the pen relaxed and keep your arm and forearm off the paper. Your hand may shake for a few second but let your hand have the freedom on how it draws. It will definitely give you a liberating feeling!
Remember: Don’t try to control your breathing and let it naturally take its course.
3. Drawing Mandalas
Mandalas are popular these days as it encompasses an idea of wholeness and unity. Mandalas are used for therapy session and are great in expressing one’s emotions and bringing inner peace to oneself.
You may either draw a mandala or buy a ready-made mandala that you can just color beautifully however you like. Drawing mandalas is said to be a form of prayer in the Buddhist tradition. Mandalas show your current state of mind and how you are feeling while drawing it.
It is a good mindfulness activity as you become one with your drawing bringing you in a state of awareness that you need.