Exercise 1, Nature "Nature is satisfied with simplicity." Isaac Newton Part 1 Meditation, 5 min Distractions have become increasingly common in our everyday life. We are interrupted by notifications, messages and constantly being available. The first exercise is an exercise in being here and now. Focus on movement in nature: such as the wind in a branch, waves, or clouds. To keep track of time, you can set a timer on your phone. If you are not in a hurry, it is not necessary to keep track of time. Look, observe and feel. Try to keep your mind on the object you are focused on. Feel free to activate your senses, through scent, texture, color and sound. If your mind wanders use it's imagination to get back to discover more about the colors in a cloud, or how fast it is drifting. Part 2 Creative meditation, 15 min (or however long you want) If time is important, set a timer, otherwise just continue for as long as you want. Choose the colors or pencils that feel right. Draw without requirements, if you get stuck draw the flow and movement of the object you have been meditating on, start painting lines as in the texture. If it's going to be something else, let it be something else. Let the brush and pen go on a journey of discovery. If words come up, write them down, if you feel like taking photos to describe your story, take pictures. When you feel that you are done, stop. During an exercise, you can make as many pictures as you want. Sometimes a picture takes a long time, sometimes you're done quickly.  If it suits you better to write about the experience, do that instead. Our feelings or our intuitive messages sometimes like to show up in a drawing or a meditation. Part 3 Reflection, 5 min How does it feel when everything flows? What is the sensation in motion? What happens in your body when you receive a notification in your phone? Good Luck Ingela

Exercise 6, Resistance and Flow ”If you relax and release, you will see that it puts you through tremendous spiritual growth." Michael A. Singer The law of resistance When we resist and fight against, the resistance usually increases, and when we let go, it flows. Sometimes all the excitement of holding back creates physical and mental reactions. Everything from tension pain to stomach ache. Sometimes we are also not fully aware of what it is in us that creates certain reactions. For example, it took me quite a long time before I understood that when I was really annoyed with my partner, I could comfort myself with food, instead of expressing how I felt because I couldn't deal with the problem. Today I can recognise the pattern and talk about it.  Part 1 Meditation in everyday life, 5 min Mindfulness and calmness can be found in things that we do every day, but it's about how we do them. Try brushing your teeth and be fully aware that you are brushing your teeth. Feel how the brush feels, how the toothpaste tastes and take your time. You can try the same thing if washing the dishes or making the bed. When choosing clothes, consider how the fabric feels against the skin.  When your thoughts wander to something else, just gently bring them back to the task at hand. Part 2 Creative Meditation, 10 min Measure the resistance and then the flow. When you feel that you are done, stop. During an exercise, you can make as many pictures as you want. Sometimes a picture takes a long time, sometimes you're done quickly.  Part 3 Reflection, 5 min Where in the body is the resistance? Where is the flow? What can you do to increase flow? Good Luck Ingela

Exercise 9, Understanding Your Own Choices We know deep down if a choice is right for us or not, we feel it. We can't always express or even explain but still we feel it in our bodies. When we go against the choices, we often get reactions such as pain, tension or other purely physical reactions. If we are stressed we easily override or disregards these feelings, so this is a practice in becoming aware of your own process and gaining tools to become present before making a choice. Begin to become aware of your choices, begin to see them and reflect. The first step is to begin to understand yourself and your actions. One way is to create time for thought and reflection. Time to hang out with yourself, today we will try it by experiencing taste and smell.  Part 2 Meditation, 10 - 20 min Try drinking a cup of coffee, juice or tea. Focus on the taste and aroma. If you want extra fragrance, add, for example, fresh mint to juice or tea, or cardamom to coffee. Try to focus on the experience.  Part 1 Creative Meditation, 10 min Paint or draw and use the colors that feel right. If words come up, write them down. If you don't feel like painting, do something creative that inspires you. Part 3 Reflection What happens when we allow ourselves to just be?  Can you remember when a decision felt right in your body? Good Luck Ingela

Exercise 14, Energy list ”You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.” Ghandi Part 1 Meditation in motion, 15 min Take a walk and think about what gives you energy. Does it have a color, a sound or a pattern. Part 2 Creative meditation, 10 min Paint your positive energy and paint your negative energy on two different papers. Alternatively write two lists. Part 3 Reflection, 5 min Try to be aware of what causes you to shift energy during the day, you are welcome to do it for a longer period. It is extremely difficult to change when we don't really know which factors we want to change and why. Make a list of things that allow you to replenish your energy. On my list may be items such as: Coffee with a friend Watch the sunset Take a bath Be in nature Good Luck Ingela

Monthly reflection Now you have completed the energy month and I hope that it has given you a Insights into what you can do to shift your energy. For the monthly reflection it is good if you have set aside 30 - 40 min. Sit down with a cup of tea/coffee and look through what you have created during the month and read your reflections. Write a summary and think about whether there is anything that surprises you. Do you find colors, patterns, words, feelings that recur? Time to celebrate! Now you have finished another month of the course it is time to celebrate. Decide to give yourself something that you have longed for time for a long walk, a good lunch, a bouquet of flowers or what you perceive as a reward.

Exercise 21, Imagination and movement Being curious and creative is part of our well-being. There is research from Dr. Barbara Fredriksson that shows that those who listen to their favourite music for 20 minutes per day show the same positive results as those who meditate for 20 minutes per day. Part 1, Meditation, 5 min Dance or move to a song you love. If you have time, dance until you feel like you're starting to let loose. Try to stay in the moment, be in the music here and now. If music and movement aren't your thing, do something you're curious about. Part 2, Creative meditation, 10 - 12 min Try doing something you've never tried before. Here are some suggestions: It could be something as simple as trying to draw a circle with your left hand. If you want something more difficult, draw a photo and turn it upside down. Try writing a three-line poem. Read an article about a topic that is completely new to you. Part 3, Reflection, 6 min How was it to try something new? Are there more minor things you can try? What happens when you try something new? Good Luck! Ingela

Exercise 22, Your inner icon We usually know who our inner critic is, but what would happen if you turned it around? Who inspires you? Do you have a role model or inner icon? Part 1, Meditation, 5 min Listen to the color meditation. Part 2, Creative meditation, 10 - 12 min Look for inspiration online or draw your inner icon. Part 3, Reflection, 6 min How did it feel to imagine your inner icon? Good Luck! Ingela

Exercise 24, YOUR PROCESS Try your own process of creative meditation. Congratulations, it's time to try your own process for the first time. It is also time to give yourself a reward for going through the whole course. It may be helpful if you decide to try for 21 days and then review if you want to change your process. If I had to choose a single thing as the most important thing in this course That's how it is for me to slow down through meditation or mindfulness before I have to make a decision, perform or do something creative. When it became a habit, I started to feel an increase in self-confidence. I am extremely curious about what you think has been most important. Please write me a few lines. Good Luck! Ingela

Monthly reflection Here it is good if you have set aside a whole hour. Sit down with a cup of tea/coffee and look through what you have created during the month and read your reflections. Write a summary and think about whether there is anything that surprises you. Do you find colors, patterns, words, feelings that recur? Time to celebrate! Now you have finished one month off the course so it is time to celebrate in some way. Decide to give yourself something that you have longed for time for a long walk, a good lunch, a bouquet of flowers or what you perceive as a reward.

CREATIVE MEDITATION, A method for managing stress and increasing your well-being. By combining meditation with creativity and reflection, it provides a unique opportunity to express emotions, increase concentration, and problem-solving abilities. Meditation exercises help you focus on the present moment and relax. The creative exercises do not require artistic skills but provide you with tools to be present and have fun. The online course is structured into two sessions per week for three months. The course includes 24 sessions with exercises, audio files, and videos. Each session takes 20 - 30 minutes, which you can do at your convenience. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to try various types of meditation/mindfulness to find what suits you. You will need a notebook and four pens to participate. The goal of the course is to provide you with tools and a habit for health and well-being in everyday life. Course Leader: Ingela Johansson, ingela@zenart.info "Creative meditation has led me to finding new discoveries about myself through drawing meditations. Every time I reach for my drawing materials, I wonder... what will I discover next?" Kym Neson, Belgium To purchase the course here, you need to be logged into the platform.

Welcome, I am so glad that you are here. Today your course in creative meditation starts. The course runs for three months and each month has a focus area. Month 1: FLOW Month 2: ENERGY Month 3: BALANCE The exercises take between 20 - 30 minutes to complete. There are 2 exercises per week. The exercises are done when it suits you. Each exercise starts with a picture, use it as inspiration if you want. Introduction Meditation The first exercises are very much about finding focus and using all the senses. It's only natural that other thoughts come in between, try to think of them as passing clouds and go back to what you were focusing on. This is like any exercise, it needs to evolve. If you forget time for a moment and are in the moment, enjoy it. This course contains audio files with guided meditations. You can sit on a regular chair/armchair when listening. Feel free to sit with both feet on the floor and keep your back straight. You can put your hands on your thighs or armrests depending or what is most comfortable. Creative meditation For many of us, it is easier to stay focused when we are doing something with our hands, preferably something repetitive or engaging. When we have done it for a while, thoughts often come about what means a lot to us right now, and sometimes answers to questions, or a feeling of what we want. If you can manage to just draw or color without thinking about creating something specific like a leaf or a boat you will relax, and after a while be able to tap into your intuitive creativity. It can help to start from the edges, or close your eyes for a while and still draw. This practice is not about learning to draw or paint, it is all about tapping into curiosity and to be surprised. Don't worry if this takes time, once it happens you will know as you most likely will get an AHA-feeling and experience that you have learned somehing important about yourself that you didn't think about but when you saw the drawing you just knew. This is hard to explain we will talk about it in the webinars. I have highligheted it with the story below, as this is a unique part of using of this method. The surpise that my brush told, There was nothing subtle about how my intuition spoke in one of my first attempts to create with meditation. It had probably tried telling me in whispers for years, so now the text in the sky was bold and words were repeated not once but ten times. Ten times over, just as if my teacher had told me to write something down ten times in order to remember it. My inner voice whispered, then shouted, to me that if I didn’t make a decision, someone else would. I could feel the words as they connected to the energy of the waves in the painting, calm but focused with a growing determination. That is how I wanted to feel and work, making better decisions from my core. Reflection When we write by hand about the experience, it is also an exercise in being present. Try to just write down what comes naturally, think of it as your private journal or thought journal. Please date your notes. Then it becomes clearer to see your own development journey when you go back and reflect. If you can listen to yourself from intuitive curiosity, and explore your thoughts it can help you to find insights from your emotions, energy and mind. All three parts are equally important to the process, and as long as you do them in order you can be creative about how you do them and what materials you use. I have included the ArtMeditation as a pdf. It is a short introduction to the process and the illustrations are made with fluid ink as they used to be. The program that you are taking now is with pens as I have simplified the process. However, the process remains the same. I suggest that you browse the book before you start it is only 31 pages and filled with illustrations. Materials A pencil or black marker. A notebook for your reflections. Please choose one with heavy paper and glossy pages. Colored pencils or whatever colors you want. (if you have other colors at home, it works just as well) Please limit the colors to five. Choosing material that you like can make the experience more enjoyable, which is extremely important here. Optional If you like the ide of keeping time without a digital device, I would suggest a time glas. Course content The course is designed so that you try different exercises during 24 occasions. After the course, you have started a routine, and can choose to continue with the exercises that suit you best. You have also designed a process that suits you and your everyday life. Course Objectives After the course, the goal is for you to have a toolbox of exercises to unwind and recover. What has the course provided? These are some examples of what other participants have said about the course: "Starting to meditate hasn't changed what happens in my life, but it does change how I deal with what happens." Karen French "The method has given me space and a time to relax, which is set aside to listen to myself." Wendy Wong "Creative meditation has meant a lot to me. It has opened up my inner self and I am getting to know myself for who I am deep down, and what is important to me. It gives me inner peace a strength and a joy I don't want to be without. It's starting to become a part of my everyday life and I long for the moment I get for myself and what my inner self has to say. Reflections have helped me dare to open my eyes and see what I really know deep down but didn't dare to see or feel. I'm slowly getting to know myself. I don't regret for a second that I dared to jump on your course, the only thing I regret is that I didn't start sooner Those who don't take the chance don't know what they're missing I recommend everyone to try creative meditation.” Frida Magnusson

Theme: FOCUS During this first month, we will define the feeling around how it feels when everything flows. How is the energy when life flows as you want? What do you usually do? How good are you willing to let it get?