Needlework, Crafts, & Art 

One of the new twists on an old yarn is using needlework, art, or other creative practice as meditation.  Of course, a lot of us want to be calmer, less stressed out, and more mindful.  We may have heard about meditation (sitting in solitude and observing the mind), and it all sounded pretty good and maybe useful.  But some of us find it almost impossible to sit quietly in one place for any length of time without something to do.  

Surprisingly, there is an answer you might not have thought of: needle crafts or art.  Apparently, one of the ways to painlessly move into meditation is by knitting, crocheting, or doing some other type of creative work.  In this case, the project is meant to be simple.  It should be mostly the focus of attention and a way to quiet your thoughts.  If your mind starts to wander (and it will), you bring it gently back to the project and not get too attached to what you are thinking about.  

You will want to find a quiet place to do this practice, somewhere you won’t be distracted.  The idea is to concentrate, and you want to cultivate a regular practice by doing it every day for a certain length of time.  Through meditation, you will probably notice unfortunate habits of mind—you know, those nasty stories you tell yourself about the past or the future.  These may not be true; the past is over, and the future is not yet.  So that’s the idea: creativity to find peace.  Don’t worry about progress, don’t worry about perfection, and don’t worry about complicated patterns or intricate drawings.  Just do it.