An Art Meditation

Having art in some form in your home or place of work allows you to create an environment which reflects you as you truly are.  Using art as a focus for meditation brings you the opportunity for personal growth or for creative inspiration.

Art for meditation is very powerful.  Have you ever stood in awe of some spectacular scene, like a sunset on snowy mountains where the colours are constantly changing and the power of the mountains gives you a feeling of internal energy?  This is the power of vision whereby the images quicken the mind and transport us into states of emotion.  Different scenes trigger different emotions.

Choose your focus

When we think of art we tend to think of 2-dimentional paintings but it is important not to forget sculptures made from wood, metal or stone.  Nor should we forget fabrics and textiles made from different materials and which are beautifully patterned.  Photographs too are art.  The same is true for the things we find in nature, beautiful patterns, colours and textures are all around us.  Not all art is man-made.  We should include shells, leaves, pressed flowers, or a beautifully shaped stone we find while out walking.

So, although the choice is highly personal, there is a great deal to choose from when we decide to meditate using art.  You may already have an item in your home or office that lends itself perfectly to your meditation or you may want to go out and buy something new that you will use exclusively for the purpose.

Being or doing

Once you have selected your piece of art, place it in your special, inspirational place, sit comfortably and take some deep breaths.  Be aware of your inhalations and exhalations. Now observe your chosen work until it begins to arouse your mind.  Then close your eyes and simply “be.”  If your mind wanders, simply bring it back and remember the picture or piece of art.  Continue breathing with awareness.  Go where the experience takes you.

Go deeper into your meditative state. Different colours can stimulate different emotions as can different shapes and you will need to experiment to find what gives you the greatest benefits – maybe gentle water colours, passionate oils, an engraving, a charcoal sketch, even computer- generated art or graffiti.

For the artists among us, getting deeply involved in producing a piece of work has the same meditative effect.

You will perhaps find that you cannot do this kind of meditation for very long at the beginning but with practice things will get easier.