Mindful Art and Photography

in Norfolk or at your own venue - one-to-one or your small group, date to suit you - from half a day to five days

Introduction to Mindful Drawing and Painting
Learn how to relax and be aware of what you are actually experiencing in the present moment, uncluttered by concepts of what you think things look like or being concerned about producing a good image. From this state we will begin to explore creative activities in art.

Mindful Drawing and Painting Workshop

Introduction to Mindful Photography
Being more aware and mindful in the present moment enables us to take far better photos, so we will learn to practise simple mindfulness meditation before and while taking photos. You can bring either your compact or DSLR camera, but you must understand how to use the controls on your camera. If you don't understand how to use your camera, book a private one-to-one photography lesson with me beforehand so that you come prepared!

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

For centuries meditators, doctors and healers in eastern traditions have believed that meditation improves health and well-being. As meditation became increasingly accepted in Europe and America, scientists began to research its effects, with recent findings confirming the benefits for regular practitioners. Significant benefits of meditating documented by medical research have been found for many health problems, including heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insomnia, chronic pain, cancer, immune problems, stress and depression. As meditation is a low-cost intervention with no side-effects, it shows promise for relief of a wide range of health and social problems. 

While deriving from Buddhist meditation, mindfulness meditation can be practised in a non-religious way by people of any faith or none. There are many forms of meditation, and contrary to popular belief you do not have to be able to stop thinking in order to learn to meditate! Buddhist meditation practices currently being researched include Calm Abiding and Insight, both of which entail practising Mindfulness. Calm Abiding involves learning to relax, settle and focus the mind, resulting in feeling calmer, more centred and aware, more at peace with a greater feeling of well being. With this greater focus one then has the clarity to begin Insight meditation – investigating the nature of mind itself in an experiential, non-academic way.

Mindfulness involves being aware of and paying attention to what is happening, as it is happening, in a gentle, accepting way. This includes noticing our bodily sensations and our experiences of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, moving, thinking and feeling. Mindfulness is the thread running through both Calm Abiding and Insight meditation. For Buddhists, meditation and mindfulness can lead to enlightenment: the permanent cessation of suffering, and waking up to the full realisation of who we really are at the deepest level. Used as a healing tool in modern health care and therapy, regularly practising mindfulness and meditation have been shown to lessen suffering and improve physical, emotional and mental well being.

Benefits of combining Art and Mindfulness

• We learn to pay attention and be more aware and awake. This can help us let go of the 'baggage' we bring to doing art activities

• We notice what is happening in the ever living present in and around ourselves - we feel more alive, present and connected

• We discover how to express ourselves creatively in a way which feels authentic for us, rather than trying to create a preconceived idea of 'good' art

• Mindful Art activities can nourish us on our journey of personal development, self discovery and self expression.

Student Responses to an Art and Meditation Retreat Day:

" The 'wow' on unblocking my mind... it was still, marks and patterns were on the paper without the busy mind judging and criticising. How liberating, spacious and free!" L.S. Suffolk

"A wonderful, gentle support, a day of awareness, a very knowledgeable and kind teacher" L.C. Norfolk

About the workshop facilitator

This Mindful Drawing Workshop is led by qualified art teacher, life coach, practising artist and Buddhist nun Zangmo Alexander. Zangmo has also been on an 8 week Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy course with the University of Bangor, and has been studying Mahamudra meditation with Mingyur Rinpoche for 5 years. She has also has many years of art therapy and psychotherapy. During her two year Masters Degree in Fine Art at Norwich School of Art and Design, she explored ways of integrating her own creative and mindfulness practices, and sees the process of art and photo making as part of a spiritual path.

Enquiries and bookings: 01379 897393