Stay Calm, Restore Balance

October 26, 2015 — art, breath, composure, dancing, happy, healthy, meditation, resilient

look up

Life can throw challenging circumstances and people into the mix at any time. Our own composure and resilience is our biggest investment because the quality of our time is tied to it. The sayings on tee shirts about keeping calm then doing something are not only comical but are also practical. We can hardly accomplish our best work if we are flipping out about something.  Remaining calm in the face of tense situations is an accomplishment.  We need personal tool boxes ready to employ when stress becomes hard to handle.  Although many practices work, the tools must be tailored to the individual.  What lifts my mood might not be fun for you, so this takes some discernment. Packing the right tools for the job requires concentration as well as honesty.  You need to know not only what will work for you but also what you will actually practice.

Meditation takes many forms, not all of which require sitting still. Walking meditation and mindfulness training are both active ways to keep moving while training the mind to focus and stay clear.  Mantras, chanting and other sounds are excellent tools to anchor the mind.  Formal training is wonderful, but we don’t need to wait to start a practice.  Artistic expression provides simple straightforward access to the unconscious.  Making art requires a special sensibility, a focus on creativity that is strong.  Tapping into the inner artist is a way to train the mind and liberate the soul.

look up

Here are a few ways I find inner peace and concentration through art:

• Visits to museums and gardens
• Photography
• Digital drawing and art
• Freestyle freehand doodling on paper
• Dancing at home by myself
• Singing while dancing at home by myself
• Poetry writing
• Cooking
• Gardening

look up

I have no professional aspirations as an artist, yet I consider myself artistic.  I am not meditative 100% of the time I engage in the above activities, but  frequently they lead to a calmer happier state of mind.  I believe each of us has essential creative gifts to offer which we have the option to develop.  Finding time to immerse ourselves in our own creative juices can be a path to peace and happiness.

look up