In this mindful circles exercise, we’ll calm our minds by drawing circles.
Circles are such beautiful objects. They represent unity and safety and are one of the favorite shapes of our minds. They make us feel comfortable and secure. Research showed that even babies show a preference for curved and circular shapes. This is because our minds are trained to see danger when they see angular-shaped objects and feel safe when we see circles or curved things.
We will use the calming power of circles in this exercise. By drawing circles, we can escape the day-to-day stress and have a moment for ourselves.
This exercise is not about creating a complex and wonderful drawing. It’s about using the power of drawing to relieve stress and relax. This exercise is all about you.
You do this for yourself and no one else. The outcome is not important. Have fun drawing these wonderful relaxing circles—a moment just for you.
I hope you have some well-deserved creative me-time with this exercise!
Have fun with this mindful circles exercise! Please let me know if you’ve tried this one; I would love to see it.
You can find a small video of this exercise on my Instagram @thecreativecooldown
Supplies used:
Bristol paper (Hahnemuhle), alcohol marker (ohuhu), fineliner sepia 0.5 (Winsor & Newton), helix circle maker, washi tape.
Alternative supply suggestions:
You can use whatever material you have for this exercise, such as colored pencils, crayons, watercolors, etc.
You don’t need a circle template to do this exercise. Any round object will do.
Instructions:
Step 1
Before you start, slowly breathe in and out a few times to clear your head.
Grab a circle template or a round object and draw at least one circle. If you like, you can also fill your page with circles. It’s up to you.
Step 2
Now, it’s time to pick a color or colors if you drew more than one circle in step 1. Look at the colors available to you and choose the one that makes you happy or calm. Next, color your circle or circles. Try to color in one direction. The repetitive motion of your hand will relax your mind.
Step 3
After your circle is filled with color, we’ll fill it with circles. Pick a starting point and draw small circles. They don’t have to be identical. It will look even more interesting when they all differ in size. Make sure you only add complete circles. You might have some small gaps between them, and that’s ok. Continue until your whole circle is filled with little ones.
Step 4
Finally, we’ll fill in the gaps between your circles. You can do this with the same color you’ve used for your circles or a different color for contrast. You can add patterns or colors to your circles if you like. Do what feels good.
Now this mindful circles exercise is done! I hope you had fun.
You might also like my mindful order and chaos exercise if you liked this exercise.