Have you tried art doodles yet?

They’ve been called (and trademarked…) Zendoodles, meditation art, Zentangles®, and Yoga for Your Brain ™. Whatever you want to call them, they are really cool to get into.

Patterns with simple shapes

Patterns on coloured art paper

Hand of Fatima pattern (Y., age 14)

It’s not really all that complicated: You’re essentially using repeating patterns with varying degrees of complexity to create some wonderful designs.

They are a great exercise to add to your practice, even if you’re not a “drawer” – you can use simple shapes like lines and dots, and still achieve something you’ll be proud of.

The upside is that you’ll also be practicing pen or pencil control. You’ll also be surprised at what your hand-left brain connection can come up with. The bigger upside is that – probably because the human brain really likes patterns – you’ll find this kind of drawing blissfully relaxing (hence the meditation, zen and yoga part).

Art doodles are great for relaxation and flexing that creativity muscle. If you’d love to give it a shot but don’t know where to start, or if you want to try out some new ideas, sign up for one of our doodly-do workshops.