Six ways to be mindful
Want to practise mindfulness? Try these brilliant resources
Headspace
1 www.headspace.com Comprising a website, app and book (Get Some Headspace: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day), the Headspace resources are made up of advice, tips and 10-minute mediation exercises from former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe.
The Art of Breathing: The Secret to Living Mindfully
2 By Dr Danny Penman The award-winning author has produced a guide to letting go and finding peace, simply by taking the time to breathe.
Wherever You Go, There You Are
3 By Jon Kabat-Zinn An easy-to-follow starter book for new meditators, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are includes practical explanations on mindfulness and awareness.
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
4 By Eckhart Tolle This is a manual for anyone who’s ever wondered what ‘living in the now’ means, or how to free yourself of your ego.
WildMind
5 www.wildmind.org This website offers free guides, articles and resources for practicing mindfulness. Run by Bodhipaksa, a Buddhist teacher and author, it’s packed with tips for getting more from meditation.
Mindfulness for Creativity: Adapt, create and thrive in a frantic world
6 By Dr Danny Penman Artists can enhance their creativity, problem-solving and decision-making skills with the simple mindfulness techniques mentioned in this book.
You need to cultivate an open mind that can gather and then integrate new ideas
using mindfulness dissolves anxiety, stress and depression.”
Better still, mindfulness can be extremely good for boosting your creativity. To see how this works, Danny suggests taking a step back and asking yourself: What do I need to do to become more creative? He believes it requires three things.
open your mind
“First, you need to cultivate an open mind that can gather and then integrate new ideas. “Second, you need to consciously notice the new ideas created by your mind and realise their significance – otherwise they’ll pass you by. And third, you need the courage to follow your ideas wherever they should lead – and the resilience to cope with the inevitable setbacks.”
Danny walks through a number of meditations and exercises in his 2015 book, Mindfulness for Creativity: Adapt, Create and Thrive in a Frantic World, which aims to help artists achieve all three objectives.
One creative who practises mindfulness is vis-dev and concept artist
Almu Redondo. She says mindfulness is key to having an open mind and looking at the world in an objective way – which is what being an artist is all about.
“In both my personal and professional work, I purposely look for that mindful moment in my brain in which everything flows and is relaxed, but is also focused and receptive at the same time,” Almu says, adding that music, routine and exercise all help her achieve this state. “Have patience,” she advises. “Everything comes if you put in the hard work – and remember to try and enjoy yourself while doing art.”
London-based concept artist Izzy Burton agrees. “We do art because we love it. If you find yourself becoming stressed, take a step back and relax. Find a new way to approach art that doesn’t stress you out. I’ve found physical painting with acrylics helps me stay creative and calm when my digital work gets too stressful. That’s my meditation.”