Stargirl - Creative Activities in the Arts for Mindfulness

How many of you have an "Enchanted Place?"  A place where you can go either physically or in your mind?  A place where you can "close your eyes and erase yourself."  Chapter 17 in the book Stargirl describes her Enchanted Place and it is also beautifully portrayed in the Disney + movie.  Create an Enchanted Place of your own. Travel there to feel relaxed and a sense of peacefulness especially when you feel stressed and experience anxiety.   Let Stargirl guide you in finding and creating your personal Enchanted Place.

1.  Sit cross legged in a comfortable position and take off your shoes.  Stargirl calls this the art of doing nothing.  A deeper kind of nothing!

2. Training your mind to do nothing is a challenge! It is difficult to mentally rest. Our mind is always bouncing from thought to thought.

3.  Now, imagine that you have a GIANT eraser.  Begin at your feet and focus on erasing yourself bit by bit until you have nothing left to erase but your mind.  Training your mind and calming your senses is the hardest part.

4. You will become most peaceful when you can erase all the thoughts cluttering your mind.  Only then can you achieve "nothingness."

5.  Once you achieve "nothingness," you will experience a sense of peace.

                                                     

Here are a few creative ideas for you,  Have some fun!

If your "enchanted place" is a physical spot you like to go, Draw or Paint it.

Create an "imaginary enchanted place."  Draw or paint it.

After you have returned from "nothingness'' write a poem or story.

Journal how you feel?  Were you able to achieve a peaceful state of mind?  Did you feel more relaxed physically?  Does it become easier each time you erase yourself?

Find some relaxing music to play while you "erase" yourself.

•