Mindful Drum and Paint

Relax and unwind with each stroke as we create a mindful, meditative-themed painting together. We start with a guided drum meditation on a shamanic drum. We then journey into your creativity, connecting to the inner muse. We use acrylic paint to infuse your artistic flavour onto a large canvas. Under the guidance & direction of studio artist Salama Salem, originally from Medicine Woman Drumming and now Medicine Woman Art, painting is interspaced with meditative and mindfulness practices.

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing your attention into the present moment without judgment or evaluation. Meditation helps to develop this skill. It has roots in the Buddhist & Hindu traditions of Sati, “to remember to observe.” It is based on meditation techniques found in Vipassana, Tibetan and Zen meditation. We combine this with mindfulness of breathing, Anapanasati, and explore techniques used in mindfulness-based art therapy which have been proven to decrease stress levels and significantly improve wellbeing.

Through the lens of “art as therapy” we focus on the creation process of the art and observe what comes up during this process. Although people come for relaxation and fun when they engage in art, I have often observed the inner critic come up for people whilst their artwork unfolds – “I can’t do this!” Yes, you can. This is a supportive, safe space to create and just witness your own process as you allow your creativity to unfold. I am not an Art Therapist, I’m a teacher who really enjoys making and creating art and music and showing others the way they can too.