Calm Down and Get Your Zentangle On

That's the title of an article in Psychology Today that we recently discovered.

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT in Arts and Health, begins,

Zentangle® is known to many artists and craftivistas as a way to create structured designs through drawing various patterns. Sometimes mistakenly called “Zendoodling” or “tangle doodling,” Zentangling or tangling is actually a formalized process that defines itself as something other than mere doodling because of its theory and approach. Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas [www.zentangle.com] are the originators of the trademarked Zentangle method. 

Later she writes:

Why am I interested in Zentangle? While the process may look intricate, it is a deceptively simple pathway to relaxation and inner focus. In fact, proponents of the practice note that it has multiple benefits including calming an anxious mind, increasing self-confidence, and cultivating moment-to-moment awareness in a similar way as mindfulness meditation. Here are some other benefits:

• It’s Self-Soothing.
• It’s Simple.
• It Teaches How to Own Mistakes.
• It Reinforces “Aimlessness.” 

In the complete article, she expands on those four benefits.

Her last reference to "aimlessness" reminded me of Leisure, The Basis of Culture, a book by Josef Pieper. Mr. Pieper's book builds on her insight into the value of "aimlessness" and has many other ideas that resonate with practicing the Zentangle Method.

We invite you to visit her blog post to read the complete article and perhaps, to leave a comment.

Thank you, Dr. Machiodi, for taking your time to write that article.

R&M