10 Ways Drawing Can Relieve Stress and Inspire Wonder
Looking for ways to be calmer, happier and more centered? The answer could lie in the pages of a sketchbook.
As someone who knows the positive effects drawing can bring to anyone's life, I'd like to share some reasons drawing is a great activity to promote relaxation and help you lead a happier life.
1. You'll reconnect with your playful spirit.
Many people drew and painted as kids, without worrying about talent or the quality of the final product. Reconnecting with that playful creative spirit is relaxing and liberating. Even if you haven't drawn since you were six, a few minutes a day drawing simple things around you can unleash a playful energy that can fill your whole day.
2. You'll amaze yourself.
Drawing isn't a mysterious matter of God-given talent. It just takes a few minutes of practice each day to make new connections in your brain and your body. I've discovered that keeping an illustrated journal helps me develop a creative habit that jump starts my drawing skills. And as your sketchbook fills with beautiful drawings, you become proud and eager to keep going.
3. You'll be able to control time.
Making art stops time. When you draw or paint what's around you, you focus and see it for what it is. Instead of living in a virtual world, you'll be present. Instead of all the things whirring in your head, you will be able to stop, to clear your mind, to take a deep breath and just be. You don't need a mantra or a guru. Or an app. Just a pen.
4. You'll tell your story.
Life is just a long succession of small epiphanies. You need to stop and seize them. By drawing the everyday things you encounter, you'll be making a record of what you're living through and what you are learning. A drawing and a sentence or two in a sketchbook turns those everyday moments into something significant. Over time, you'll build up a book of memories — a true record of what's important in your life.
5. You'll fight perfectionism.
Many people are tempted to avoid doing things they can't do well. But creativity is all about taking risks and doing new things — things that may not turn out exactly as we'd planned. Drawing can help you avoid the limitations of perfectionism and learn to roll with the punches. You learn to see "mistakes" as lessons and opportunities for improvisation. Often a wonky line or a splatter of ink can turn a sketch into an expressive work of art. Learn to let go, play and discover.
6. You'll reconnect with your inner child.
Draw with a child, and draw with crayons, tempera, pastels and finger paints. Interact with your drawing partner. Take requests. Tell a story and illustrate it as you go. Ask your kid to draw a crazy line and you add to it to make an elephant or a choo-choo or a ham sandwich. Scribble. Splatter. Play. For a few minutes, let it go and be a child.
7. You'll realize the world isn't perfect.
But it's beautiful. And the most beautiful things have character and experience built into them. There's a lot to learn and appreciate in a chipped mug, a half-eaten apple, the tiny lines in the leather of your dashboard. Making art will show you how much you already have. Your real treasures. A brand-new Maserati is a lot less beautiful to draw than a rusty old pickup.
8. You'll create memories.
When you draw, you enhance your memory. By slowing down and observing carefully, you create deeper and more vivid records of everything that surrounds you. Make drawing a habit, and your ability to summon up the past and enjoy it once again will grow by leaps and bounds.
9. You'll get rid of boredom.
You will never be bored or waste time again. Every day is full of those moments between activities. Waiting in the doctor's office, watching mindless TV. Instead of reading tweets on your phone, you'll make a piece of art. Every minute of your day counts. Make it worthwhile.
10. You'll share your art.
At my drawing school, we encourage students to post their work online. At first that can seem daunting, trotting out your work for strangers to comment on. But if you find a supportive and encouraging community, your incentive to draw grows. And the connections you form with others on the same journey of discovery are deep and profound. Draw with your friends. Draw your friends. Share your sketchbook and the stories of your life. What could be more beautiful?
1. You'll reconnect with your playful spirit.
Many people drew and painted as kids, without worrying about talent or the quality of the final product. Reconnecting with that playful creative spirit is relaxing and liberating. Even if you haven't drawn since you were six, a few minutes a day drawing simple things around you can unleash a playful energy that can fill your whole day.
2. You'll amaze yourself.
Drawing isn't a mysterious matter of God-given talent. It just takes a few minutes of practice each day to make new connections in your brain and your body. I've discovered that keeping an illustrated journal helps me develop a creative habit that jump starts my drawing skills. And as your sketchbook fills with beautiful drawings, you become proud and eager to keep going.
3. You'll be able to control time.
Making art stops time. When you draw or paint what's around you, you focus and see it for what it is. Instead of living in a virtual world, you'll be present. Instead of all the things whirring in your head, you will be able to stop, to clear your mind, to take a deep breath and just be. You don't need a mantra or a guru. Or an app. Just a pen.
4. You'll tell your story.
Life is just a long succession of small epiphanies. You need to stop and seize them. By drawing the everyday things you encounter, you'll be making a record of what you're living through and what you are learning. A drawing and a sentence or two in a sketchbook turns those everyday moments into something significant. Over time, you'll build up a book of memories — a true record of what's important in your life.
5. You'll fight perfectionism.
Many people are tempted to avoid doing things they can't do well. But creativity is all about taking risks and doing new things — things that may not turn out exactly as we'd planned. Drawing can help you avoid the limitations of perfectionism and learn to roll with the punches. You learn to see "mistakes" as lessons and opportunities for improvisation. Often a wonky line or a splatter of ink can turn a sketch into an expressive work of art. Learn to let go, play and discover.
6. You'll reconnect with your inner child.
Draw with a child, and draw with crayons, tempera, pastels and finger paints. Interact with your drawing partner. Take requests. Tell a story and illustrate it as you go. Ask your kid to draw a crazy line and you add to it to make an elephant or a choo-choo or a ham sandwich. Scribble. Splatter. Play. For a few minutes, let it go and be a child.
7. You'll realize the world isn't perfect.
But it's beautiful. And the most beautiful things have character and experience built into them. There's a lot to learn and appreciate in a chipped mug, a half-eaten apple, the tiny lines in the leather of your dashboard. Making art will show you how much you already have. Your real treasures. A brand-new Maserati is a lot less beautiful to draw than a rusty old pickup.
8. You'll create memories.
When you draw, you enhance your memory. By slowing down and observing carefully, you create deeper and more vivid records of everything that surrounds you. Make drawing a habit, and your ability to summon up the past and enjoy it once again will grow by leaps and bounds.
9. You'll get rid of boredom.
You will never be bored or waste time again. Every day is full of those moments between activities. Waiting in the doctor's office, watching mindless TV. Instead of reading tweets on your phone, you'll make a piece of art. Every minute of your day counts. Make it worthwhile.
10. You'll share your art.
At my drawing school, we encourage students to post their work online. At first that can seem daunting, trotting out your work for strangers to comment on. But if you find a supportive and encouraging community, your incentive to draw grows. And the connections you form with others on the same journey of discovery are deep and profound. Draw with your friends. Draw your friends. Share your sketchbook and the stories of your life. What could be more beautiful?
How to Do Malasana (Garland Pose)
Malasana is a deep squat which opens tight hips and inner thighs, and stretches the lumbar spine. There is a gentle squeeze and massage for the internal organs and a stretch to the lower calf muscle and Achilles tendon too.
Here's how to do it:
From a standing forward bend, turn the toes out, bend the knees and place the hands on the floor (this helps keep the knees safe as you drop down into a squat). Then bend the knees and lower the buttocks towards the floor until you arrive in a deep squat. The feet are turned out and the knees are wide so they track over the toes. You may need to put a block or folded blanket under the heels if they don't touch the floor. Breathe deeply and stay for 5-10 breaths.
There are number of variations of this pose. You can bring the hands together in front of the heart and use the elbows to gently guide the knees back which will stretch the inner things more - see Picture 1. You can slide the hands forward along the floor for a deeper forward bend as in Picture 2 (but only if your back is happy for you to do so). Or you can wrap the arms around the shins and clasp the hands behind the heels, again if your back feels ok - see Picture 3. If your knees don't like the deep folding action of this pose, you could sit on blocks or a bolster to take the weight onto the buttocks as in Picture 4. There is also the option to do this pose with the feet together but the knees wide, taking care to press the inner part of the ball of the foot down to the floor.
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| Picture 1 |
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| Picture 2 |
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| Picture 3 |
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| Picture 4 |
What is Fascia and What Does It Do?
Think of fascia as the most sensitive, highly interconnected system in the entire body — it's the life force next to blood. Without fascia, toned and structured muscle would turn to hamburger meat, organs would spread like wildfire and bones would crumble, as fascia is the single element that organizes and suspends these parts of the body. It's the most highly innervated tissue, sensitive to every hormone in your system, recoiling with every bump and bruise sustained.
Our understanding of fascia in modern science will revolutionize how we exercise, how surgeons operate, how athletes train and how we address pain management. Fascia is the frontier of body knowledge, and the better you understand what it is and how it works, the more in tune with your body you'll be. Here's what you should know about fascia.
So, what is fascia?
Fascia is the system of connective tissue fibers that lay just under the surface of our skin. Under a microscope, fascia is highly organized in a mesh formulation of tubules filled with water, and its job is to attach, stabilize, enclose and separate muscles and internal organs.
What does fascia do?
Fascia is wrapped throughout the body on "lines of pull." It connects toes to brow in one uninterrupted sheet of fascia, and fingers to chest and neck. The heart fascia is connected at the collarbone, which connects to the arm and fingers. It coils around the bones, muscle fibers, muscle bundles, organs, arteries, veins and nerves, applying tension and compression to the body material it surrounds.
This is what you feel as a stretch or when you have physical pain. It's the tension of the fascia around the area of sensation that causes feelings of tightness. Tendons and ligaments are layers of fascia that are meant to absorb shock and distribute the impact. If tendons are tight, dehydrated and shortened, they can't absorb impact and will fray, causing pain.
Fasica also has an organ suspension function. Have you ever wondered how your liver, stomach and intestines stay put? Your organs are not suspended without any connection to the outside body. Each organ is wrapped in a hammock of fascia that's connected to the spine, ribs, or pelvis. These fascial connections connect with the muscle fascia that affects your movement. Your breath, exercise and sitting posture will all affect the health of organs, as they're connected fascially to the muscles being used for daily activities.
How does fascia work?
Fascia is sensitive to all movement. There's no such thing as isolation exercises or having a "leg-day workout" — all movement affects the entire body because of the links to the body-wide fascial network. Working at your desk with hands pulled forward on the keyboard pulls the fascia in the low back and hips, and if you cross your legs, your knees and bladder.
Counting repetitions in your workout does affect the cells of the muscle, but ultimately muscle potential is limited by the quality of the fascia that surrounds it. Movement is supposed to be absorbed by fascia, not muscle. Watch a cat jump; that's not a muscular movement. It's the fascia recoiling and creating a spring tension to propel the cat upward.
Humans are the same to some degree. Our body mechanics are meant to be spring loaded for joints of the spine, hips, knees, ankles and ribs, so they can absorb impact and distribute the strain throughout the body. Proper exercise should follow the lines of fascial pull in order to distribute the impact. When you're tight and restricted, the fascia is stuck and doesn't glide smoothly over the muscles and bones. In order for your body to work like a well-oiled machine, you must focus on the fascia. Fitness ability is dependent on healthy fascia.
Why is fascia so crucial?
Joint health, injury-free sports, organ health and fluid movement are all dependent upon a healthy integrated fascial system. This promotes the notion that you need to take care of every part of your body in the same manner — without neglecting any one part. Total body health translates to total internal health and pain-free living.
So now you know a bit more about fascia. And take a guess what would be a good thing to do to look after this amazing part of your body... yes, of course... rolling out your yoga mat and practicing some poses.
And finally, back to the subject of colour, take a look at this lovely video. Its a reminder about something most of us take for granted. Our yoga practice encourages us to appreciate all the many blessings we have in our lives so, if you see the world in colour, take a moment to be grateful for that and honour the miracle that is the human body.
https://youtu.be/ea_xOqNvntA
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