Relax and rewind - sewing as meditation
Sewing is a creative and artistic practice that can have almost infinite benefits for the mind, body and soul.
The modern world is a busy place. Not just the outside world, with its constant stream of information for us to process and tasks for us to complete, but our internal world too. Often, there’s a lot of thoughts racing around in our minds and it can be hard to chill out and find calm.
The goal of meditation is to find an antidote to this business, and achieve a mentally clear state. One way to achieve this is to focus our attention on a particular task that requires high concentration levels, so that we can temporarily empty our heads and slip into a ‘flow state’.
Sewing is just one of the ways we can try this out - and you might already be doing it without noticing! Here are just some of the things to consider when sewing which can help you find calm through your craft-
Slow down and breathe.
We make mistakes on our projects for all sorts of reasons, but there’s two common culprits - we either rush excitedly to finish a project, or let our minds wander and don’t pay attention to what we’re doing.
The breath is a powerful tool to stay focused and calm in all sorts of pursuits, and sewing is no different. Just as the needle moves up and down, in and out, focus on keeping a steady breath and you’ll soon fall into a focused rhythm, and you’ll resist the urge to speed up and make mistakes.
Don’t watch the clock - enjoy the process!
We’ve all been there - we’ve sat down to sew for half an hour, but before we know it, we’ve been at the needle for two hours and it’s almost impossible to believe where the time has gone. Time flies when we’re having fun, but also when we’re engaged in activities that allow our bodies and minds to slip into a natural rhythm. This is known as ‘flow state’ - embrace it, as it’s one of the most therapeutic experiences we can have. If you have the time to spare, sew without constantly having one eye on the clock.
Practice patience and perspective.
Of course, there will be times when we’ll make sewing mistakes that, at the time, can seem so severe that we consider abandoning our projects altogether.
But one of the aims of meditation in any form is to have a clearer mind, so that we can recognise and assess our own emotions when they arise. If we become angry or frustrated with ourselves, it’s best to take a step back and think about the scale of things. Sure, we made a mistake. But this is still a craft that we love and can take great benefit from… and the world keeps turning!
So, there you have it - enjoying your hobby could have more profound benefits than you first thought! Sewbox provide everything you need to begin your sewing journey or to stock up on beautiful materials needed for your next project. Take a look around!
