Hi Annmarie –

You are full of great ideas. I wonder if I understood you right. If I am reading it right, you are looking for some art activities for people to relax and express themselves?

I find that people who don’t usually do art need some level of structure. For just a general population art group – one nice thing to do is to give them 1 – 3 samples that you have done or have pictures of, so that they can visualize what they are doing. It gets the creative juices flowing.

http://www.zentangle.com is a great resource for power doodling patterns. This is an approach that is very relaxing and non-threatening.

Mandalas are also a great place to start. A mandala is just a circle. You can google “mandala” and learn lots about the origin. They can be very structured with a pattern, or just filled with color.

I hope this helps!

Amy

You’re welcome, Laura!

Andrea –

First off, I bet you were better at it than you think, but part of the purpose of yoga is to observe the process. You are a student, you are imperfect. You attempt things. You wobble. You fall sometimes. You lean into the future, you lean into the past, you learn to be in the moment on the mat. It’s a pretty cool process, actually. The metaphors are endless. I’m so pleased that you were able to take a chance on something new as well.

All the best to you,
Amy

Amy – Aren’t balancing poses so fun? One of my yoga teachers called them “party yoga-” like we might use them to show off at a party. She said that with teens you have to start teaching these “fun” poses before they are ready to slow down and be still. Of course the strength, flexibility, and mindfulness are in every pose, but I guess that can be hard to find at times.

I’m so glad that the challenge helped you to re-evaluate and re-invigorate your self-care. Mission accomplished. You all make me a happy chica with your comments about what you are taking away this week. Thank you.

Amy

Laura – What a great way to tune into your needs instead of the “shoulds.” I feel like that is a lot of what people got this week. Part of self-care is slowing down to tune in and find out what you REALLY need in any given moment. This is a great example.

And thank YOU Laura for so faithfully sharing your images, adventures in self-care and art, and insights. You added so much to this community.

Cheers,

Amy

Kara – I think it’s great that you tried something a little bit outside your comfort zone today. 🙂

I could tell that you loved the challenge because you gave so much. What a gift. Thank you for your daily posts, ideas, and insights. And I am thrilled that it highlighted the self-care strategies that you are already using.

I am thrilled that you enjoyed the journey so much, so did I.

Amy

Yay Christine! You made my day. That IS the point. Some self-care is better than no self-care. And the more you cultivate this attitude and practice of considering what might be best for you, or feel right, the more natural and ingrained it will become. I’m excited to hear your reactions to my reflections in tomorrow’s post. Remember that, like many people have pointed out, sometimes self-care is just being very present in a sensory way in the moment. What do I hear, see, feel, smell, taste? Where is there beauty? Allowing this to be your focus while you are at the grocery store, standing in line somewhere, or with the kids at the park is self-care because its a very conscious choice to savor the moment.

Here’s to savoring the moments,
Amy

Chibi –

Sundays sound so lovely at your place. What a great practice. Cheers to you and thanks for sharing your insights and journey with us this week.

Cheers,
Amy

Marina:

Having your voice here on the blog has been wonderful. I’m so happy too that you have used this space to give yourself a challenge. I hope that others feel free to do this too if so moved. Sometimes accountability can be so helpful. Just a little push. It’s a good reminder to me too. I need to dedicate more short bursts to yoga in between classes.

Cheers,
Amy