Crochet and Meditation - Sounds weird ? stop for second and think about it, it makes total sense, especially for people like me that their minds are in constant vibration, crocheting offers a great way to get into mindfulness without sitting still on a cushion and breathing.
I tried meditation more than once but it just doesn’t work for me, my thoughts wonder about in all directions, I can't concentrate on breaths only, and before I even notice it had happened , time is up. One of the things I found is working for me is Yoga, an hour and a half of almost no mind wondering, the type of yoga that I do is called Iyenger, it demands concentration on so many small parts of the body all at the same time, that you just can't let your mind go wondering.
But that's not I wanted to write about, how did I even get there ? … mind wondering I guess, ha ha !
Yoga is great, but not enough if you want something more accessible, that doesn't require a certain block of time, an empty stomach, a yoga mat, cloths etc. the solution is at the tip of your hands- crochet ! and for me, my favorite wire crocheting.
Don’t get me wrong, when I started crocheting I didn't look for a mediation substitute, it was a by-product, it took a while before I realized this is what it indirectly brought me, my hubby used to look astonished, asking how come I'm not bored with these repetitive stitches, but I wasn’t ! I was relaxed, content and happy.
Reflecting on the sensations it brings me made me realize that crochet offers a chance to meditate in a way that most people will find more achievable, the recurrent hand movements and focus on the work in hand, reduces stress and makes you stay in the present instead of going mind wondering back or forward, which is what we do with our thoughts.
I find that large projects are the perfect ones to dive into for crochet-meditation, It can be projects like the YoolaTube , you can crochet endless tubes to relax and only later on figur how to manipulate them into a finished design.
The same goes with making stashes of the XS tubes, wire crochet tubes made of 4 stitches, I make many meters of them and when I want to make a Celtic heart necklace, bangles or hoop earrings, I have supply ready to be assembled .
Reflecting on what brought me to write about the crochet-meditation connection just now, I think its thanks to the new giant looms for the making of the Yoola Manadalas that I launched lately, the Mandalas in addition for being a spiritual end product, bring in the making of them a good crochet-meditation opportunity too.
Coming to think of it, I think the work in the round that is characteristic of my crochet technique, the invisible spool knitting , ads another layer to the feeling of being drawn into meditation, It draws you further into the quiet of mindfulness.
I guess most of you didn’t get hooked because you were looking for a way to meditate, I know I didn’t but can you identify with any of what I have written ? would love to hear about your experience !
Yours,
Yael aka yoola
