I’ve been thinking about the way of the world lately and how everyone is truly feeling.

It’s hard to know when we’re constantly scrolling through the perfect Instagram lives of others, or numbing out mind, while we watch back-to-back series on Netflix. 

In the conversations that I’m having with my mentoring clients and friends lately, there seems to be some common themes.

Themes such as:

– Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by the demands of daily life
– Feeling unfulfilled inside a career that they’ve outgrown
– Concerned for what the future holds and feeling stuck

As humans, we can give a lot of energy to our thoughts, especially to the thoughts that aren’t so good for us.

And when the mind isn’t nurtured, and we’re not practising self-awareness, it can be difficult to feel balanced in certain areas of our life, particularly the areas that require most of out time and energy, such as work and relationships. 

In 2017, I took part in a Vipassana Meditation course in the middle of Sri Lanka. 

Vipassana is a 10-day meditation experience where you meditate for 10 hours each day with short breaks in between for rest and meals. 

It was tough.

– No speaking for 10 days, straight
– No electronics (including phones), no books, no music or any other form of entertainment
– No exercise, no journaling, no spiritual practises

You weren’t even allowed to make eye contact with the other students…

There were very strict rules and very basic facilities.

I soon learned that it wasn’t just a course in meditation, but a course in discipline too.

I took part in it because I wanted to get to know my mind without any distractions. I wanted peace and quiet and to see if I could actually do it, too.

The challenge excited me.

I talk more about my experience inside my mindfulness e-course, Deep Soul Cleanse, but today, I want to talk about the alternatives when it comes to bringing your mind and body to the present moment.

Meditation can be powerful and there are countless studies on the benefit it has on our mental health.

But it can be difficult, especially in the beginning, and the pressure and expectations we put on ourselves in order to achieve it, can often create more disharmony within.

It’s also not for everybody.

Since my intense experience of Vipassana, I’ve learned that there are other ways to quiet the mind, and these ways seem to be more accessible, achievable, and fun.

You don’t have to be free from your intrusive thoughts, sitting totally still, and putting up with an itch you just can’t scratch, in order to achieve a meditative state.

You can choose to take the journey to a calm and restful place while still feeling comfortable and pressure-free.

The traditional form of meditation encourages you to bring your mind and body to the same place, at the same time.

But it’s not always easy when your mind is jumping around and you’re struggling to sit still.

The good thing is that there are other ways to reunite your mind, body and soul.

Through silence and creativity, the mind gets a chance to heal.

What started as a creative project to help me relax recently, turned out to be a new eBook on the topic of Creative Meditation. I’ve included 5 hand-drawn colouring pages for you to colour in and feel calm, as you reconnect with your inner child and practise a moment of self-care.

Drawing and colouring in (even if you say you’re not creative), can bring you to that peace of mind that you so often crave.

And it’ll also help you to find the answers you’ve been looking for.

It doesn’t require much effort either, which is always a plus 😄

The Creative Meditation eBook is free and you can click here to download and print it.

I’d love to know how it makes you feel 🤗✨

Take care,

Lauren