ZENTANGLE
FINDING PEACE THROUGH PATTERNS Amidst the pandemic, an increasing number of people are taking to Zentangle, a unique, therapeutic art form that can help you destress and find positivity in life
Stress, a common problem faced by most people today, has been highly exacerbated by the current pandemic. Staying indoors for days on end, not meeting friends and family, and increased workload at home has not been easy. And the situation is even worse for front-line workers, who are forced to encounter the disease on a daily basis. Dr Syamala Aiyangar, consultant physician at Apollo Hospital, experienced this when she started seeing Covid patients a few months back. “We started seeing so many Covid patients and it was getting stressful. The surge in cases was making me depressed,” says Syamala, who soon found unique solution to counter stress.
“My daughter was taking art classes online and she found it therapeutic. I soon began looking for something similar and stumbled upon Zentangle. I took one class and since then I have been hooked on to it,” she says. “Whatever I made looked so beautiful and it was such a positive boost. After a long day at work, I would look forward to coming home and practising it. It has made a huge difference to the way I a her feel. Practising it for half an hour before bedtime also helped me sleep a lot better,” she says.
UNDERSTANDING ZENTANGLE
The Zentangle method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. These patterns or tangles are created using dots, lines, simple curves etc. “But unlike other art forms, Zentangle was created as a meditative art form,” explains Sandhya Manne, a certified Zentangle teacher from Chennai. Zentangle is the invention of two Americans, Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, as a tool to help people experience a meditative state. When Rick once entered Maria’s studio, she was busy creating patterns on a gilded letter. She later described to Rick that when she was creating the patterns, she experienced timelessness, complete immersion in the process and selflessness. Rick exclaimed that she was in fact describing meditation. They both collaborated to find a system to help others experience this and thus was born the method of Zentangle.
When we did the first workshop, it was full. There are many people looking for something relaxing. After the first workshop I got so many messages from people talking about how it has helped them. If you have had a hectic day, just do a piece for 15 to 20 minutes and it will make a huge difference to the way you feel.” — Amritha Routha, conducts online Zentangle workshops
Zentangle is usually done on a 3 ½ inch by 3 ½ inch tile (piece of paper) that can be easily carried around, along with a pen and pencil. “This form is designed to be therapeutic. And the best part about this art form is that it can be done by anyone and can be done anywhere — while waiting at a bus stop or an airport,” says Pradeepa Kesiraju, a certified Zentangle teacher. It a simple art form that does not require one to have any artistic skills. “Everyone can create a Zentangle and it will be beautiful,” adds Manne.
RULES TO TANGLE
Zentangle has prescribed steps and each step has a meaning attached to it. “Once you do it as prescribed, you will experience meditation,” says Kesiraju. “For example, you draw the border with pencil, but you can cross it, this means that nothing is written in stone. Also, there are no mistakes in Zentangle. So, everything you create is a masterpiece,” she adds.
According to Dilip Patel, a trainer in behaviour therapy and a certified Zentangle teacher based in Bengaluru, there are three important rules in Zentangle. “There is no pre-planning. In fact, what appears on paper is not the main purpose of the activity. In the process of creating a normal painting, one would have an image of what one wants in the mind. But in Zentangle you do not have that. Your mind is free. You separate yourself from the mind, from your thoughts. You mind is just the observer while your hand moves on its own accord. It is non-judgmental. Once you understand this, you become free. You are no longer the prisoner of your thoughts,” he elaborates.
The second rule is that there is no post judgement. “If there is no image in your mind of what the piece should look like, how can there be judgement. What will you compare the final image to? This process takes time. But once you keep practising this, it creates magic within you,” he says.
The third rule is that there are no errors or mistakes. “You make a Zentangle with a pen. These is no scope to erase as in life one cannot erase one’s mistakes. But in Zentangle there are no mistakes. If you make a pattern that you did not intend to, you just continue going along and in the final pattern, you will not even be able to point out where the unintended pattern is. That’s how life is. By regularly practising Zentangle one learns to accept mistakes and move on,” says Patel.
MYRIAD BENEFITS
One of the most noted benefits of Zentangle is relief from stress and anxiety. Sahiba Chahal, a Hyderabad-based PhD student, who took to Zentangle about six months back, says it has immensely helped her in the pandemic. “I got frustrated and I started doing Zentangle, and it worked wonders. My stress levels came down and my mind is completely free from thoughts. Whenever I am stressed it’s my go to thing to relax,” she says.
Any kind of creative activity builds confidence and this is true for Zentangle as well. “Doing a piece and seeing the beautiful result at the end uplifts the mood,” points out Manne.
BACKED BY SCIENCE
Studies conducted over the years have found that Zentangle has been effective in reducing stress, anxiety, increasing confidence and enhancing psychological wellbeing among patients. A study conducted by Certified Zentangle Teacher, John Nordell, looked at the impact of Zentangle on participants of his class and the participants included cancer patients, members of the Narcotics Anonymous and senior citizens. He found that Zentangle decreased anxiety in 16 out of 21 patients. Since the anxiety scores decreased for 76 percent of the participants, he concluded that participating in a Zentangle class reduces anxiety for some individuals, thereby increasing their well-being. Studies have also found that Zentangle can be effectively used as an art therapy tool.