Drawing Breath

This mindful breathing exercise creates a unique blend of creativity and relaxation through artistic expression. Drawing Breath gently guides participants to visualize and illustrate their breathing patterns using simple art materials. The peaceful combination of meditation and creative exploration allows participants to experience mindfulness in a tangible, meaningful way.

Drawing Breath – Mindful Breathing Exercise

1. Optional: visit the Resources tab to download a sample script to guide your facilitation of this exercise.
2. In advance, gather all of your art supplies and materials.
3. Gather your group and ask them to grab their choice of craft materials.
4. Invite your group to sit comfortably and place the materials in front of them (on a table or floor.)
5. Announce that you will soon lead a brief exercise to help them relax and connect to their breath.
6. Facilitate the visualisation step by step, making adjustments according to the needs of your group.
7. As you guide your group through the script, invite them to use their creative tool of choice to draw and paint their breath on paper.
8. For example, as they inhale they may choose to draw an upward motion on their paper and with each exhale, they may draw a downward motion.
9. When ready, gently invite your group back to be present in the room.
10. Next, invite each person to experiment further with one or more independent rounds of breathing, each time intending to express their breathing pattern on paper.
11. Allow up to 30 minutes for your group to complete these creations.
12. When ready, invite group members to share their final projects with others in a group discussion or with partners.