This morning we tried another painting meditation, enso. Enso is the Japanese word for circle, so this is a painting of a circle. But it is so much more than that. The enso symbolizes the universe and the void, strength, elegance, and enlightenment. So when you paint an enso you are doing it as a meditation to not only focus your mind but gain self confidence as well. I learned about this painting over at Here We Are Together.
I started out by cutting white cardstock in half to make small sheets. I was going to use watercolor paper but my stash was low and I knew I would need a lot. I ended up with about forty half sheets of paper.
We started our meditation painting by lighting a candle, getting out our watercolor paints, and finding some relaxing music on Pandora Radio. We recited our focusing verse while taking three breathes.
I am breathing in
I am breathing out
I am happy
Oh so happy
I explained that we would be painting circles with our paints. I told them to breathe and paint their circle with one brush stroke. Then we began. They started quietly painting as I told them and then they began to experiment. They began painting with two colors, adding dots, placing them in different spots on the paper, and painting wide or skinny ensos. We did this for almost an hour with no complaint. And when they were done they went away happy. Here are some pictures from our painting meditation.
We decided to make a wall display of all of our ensos and I think it turned out beautifully.
After our first experience I know we will be doing this again some time soon.
Namaste