Welcome to this art-based mindfulness practice about wholeness.
Today,
We will begin by settling the nervous system with a grounding breath practice.
From there,
I'll guide you through a ball of light visualization to create inner space and clarity.
We will close with a guided imagery experience and an invitation into an art prompt,
A simple,
Accessible,
Creative practice that you can complete with whatever materials you have nearby.
Let us begin.
Find a comfortable seat,
Place your feet flat on the floor or cross your legs,
Whatever feels most supportive for your body right now.
Let your hands rest softly in your lap.
You may close your eyes if that feels comfortable,
Or let your gaze soften toward the floor in front of you.
Begin simply by noticing your breath.
Just notice the natural rhythm of the inhale and exhale.
Notice where the breath is moving in your body.
Is it staying high near the collarbones,
Or can you feel it moving down into the heart space or belly?
If you wish,
You can begin to breathe a little more deeply.
Just notice the gentle expansion on the inhale.
Take a brief pause and then on the exhale.
Just exhale slow and complete and pause again.
Continue for a few more rounds of breath.
On your next exhale,
Imagine a warm ball of light at the base of the spine.
And as you inhale,
Breathe slowly and deeply,
Imagining the ball of light moving up the front of the spine.
As you exhale,
Imagine it moving down the back of the spine.
All the way back to the tailbone.
And continue without a pause between the inhale and exhale.
Simply follow the ball of light as it travels its gentle circuit.
You may notice where the ball of light pauses or lingers in the body as you move it upward.
Simply allow the ball to transition its direction there.
There is no need to force it all the way to the crown of the head or to your eyeballs.
Continue for a few rounds of breath.
And as the ball of light moves upward along the front of the spine,
Imagine that it acts like a magnet,
Gently gathering whatever you're carrying that doesn't need or serve you.
Things like worry,
Noise,
The weight of expectation,
Or the effort of being who you've been expected to be.
Let the ball of light collect these as it moves upward.
And now as the ball of light moves down the back of the spine on the exhale,
Imagine that it creates space and openness,
Room for ease.
Continue for a few more rounds of breath.
On the inhale,
Ball of light moves upward,
Collecting fear,
Worry,
Noise,
Negativity.
As it moves downward,
It creates space and ease.
Now,
As the ball of light moves upward and into the heart center,
Allow it to pause there.
Let your breath return to natural and simply observe this ball of light and imagine that it begins to expand.
It moves out through the arms and legs,
Out through the hands and the feet and the crown of the head.
And it continues to expand until this warm,
Steady light surrounds you fully and completely.
Within this space,
You are emotionally safe.
You are grounded.
You are able to see clearly without needing to defend or change a thing.
Now imagine that this is actually the inside of a giant disco ball.
Yes,
I said disco ball.
All around you,
There are thousands of tiny mirrors,
Each one catching the light from a slightly different angle.
Each one sending it back out into the world in its own particular way.
No single mirror creates the light.
No single mirror holds the whole picture,
And yet,
Together,
They reflect this incredible sparkle.
So notice that in this great disco ball of life,
You are one of those mirrors.
The light you receive and reflect has been shaped by everything you have lived,
Every experience you have metabolized,
Every season you have survived,
Every strength you carry,
Such as your creativity,
Your loyalty,
Your curiosity,
Your care.
No one other mirror is positioned quite the way yours is.
No one other mirror can reflect the light in the exact way that you do.
And now let's take a moment to pause and consider.
So much of what we reflect into the world is the result of our conditioning.
It comes not from our truest selves,
But from old patterns and habituated responses,
And the accumulated weight of what we receive from others or from society or culture as truth.
Art-based mindfulness,
This simple act of slowing down to receive what is present,
To observe what surfaces within us with curiosity,
And then giving these shape through creativity and embodying both the creative practice and the wisdom that emerges.
This is a practice of returning to your original reflection.
It is like polishing the mirror.
It supports us in separating the conditioned response from the true self underneath it.
When you receive what is arriving in your experience,
When you really receive it in the body without rushing to manage it,
You begin to hear yourself again.
When you observe what is present with curiosity rather than judgment,
You begin to distinguish your own voice from the noise.
When you give what you've received and observed a shape through drawing,
Writing,
Collage,
Color,
Or image-making.
Something that was invisible becomes visible.
Something that was stuck begins to move.
And when you embody what emerges,
Letting it quietly change how you move through your day,
You become more present,
More intentional.
Calmer,
Perhaps.
Most definitely,
More fully yourself.
And here is why that matters.
When you are more present,
The people around you feel it.
When you are more intentional,
What you put into the world shifts.
The quality of your attention,
The steadiness of your presence,
The way you share your gifts and your strengths.
Said differently,
Your creative practice polishes the mirror,
And this affects how the mirror sends light back out into the world,
Which affects how others will receive it.
As Mother Teresa said,
I alone cannot change the world,
But I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.
Art-based mindfulness makes a positive shift on the light and image that is reflected by your particular mirror.
And this is important.
May this practice today remind you that we are each part of something larger than ourselves.
And when we do the work of returning to our truest reflection,
Even in small ways,
Even in 15 minutes with a journal and a set of markers,
We contribute something real to the whole.
Which brings us to today's art prompt.
When you are ready,
Let your eyes open gently.
And for today's creative practice,
You will need your journal or a piece of paper and whatever materials feel right to you.
The art prompt is a disco ball,
Of course.
Begin by drawing or collaging an image of yourself as one small mirror on the surface of a great disco ball.
On the left side of the page,
Place the people,
Places,
Values,
Experiences,
And moments that have reflected light into your life.
The things that have shaped you,
Informed you,
Or called something forward in you.
These do not need to be only the inspired or beautiful things.
Of course,
You can include life's difficulties as well.
And then,
Somewhere on the side of the disco ball,
Create the mirror that represents you.
And then on the right side,
Create an image of the light you send back into the world.
Notice the particular angle of your reflection,
What only you,
From your position,
Can illuminate.
It's the unique way you fill a room.
Now,
One reason that you are here is that you may not be liking how you fill the room.
Maybe you're not even able to get into the room at all.
You could create an image of that,
But remember that we are focusing on the results of the art-based mindfulness practice of polishing our mirror.
So here,
Go with the ideal.
How would you like to fill the room?
What are your unique qualities like creativity or loyalty or kindness or humor?
What amplifies this light?
What does that picture on the right look like when your light is reflected brighter and with more clarity as a result of your creative practice?
When your image feels complete,
Take a few minutes to write in your journal and finish this sentence.
As a result of using art to receive,
Observe,
Shape,
And embody,
I what?
Fill in the blank,
Said differently,
As a result of practicing art-based mindfulness,
You notice or experience what?
How does it make a difference in your world?
As we close today's practice,
I thank you for being here with me.
Perhaps take a moment to place your hands on your heart and notice the connection between heart and hands.
Take a deep breath in and remember your creativity matters.
And remember also that you are part of something larger than yourself.
The goodness in me honors the goodness in you.
