Creative practice as an anchor

February is something of a liminal (in-between) time: nearly the end of winter, but not quite spring. It can feel like a slog, to cross this transitional space that offers little in the way of anchor points.

One dictionary definition of an anchor is ‘someone or something that gives support when needed’. This is how the practice of imaginative meditation feels to me.

I’ve always been thankful that I learned to practice mindfulness within a tradition that included imaginative approaches. Once I gave myself full permission to be creative in meditation, my personal practices began to feel more like a reliable anchor during those times when there’s not much else to hold onto.

Over time, I’ve discovered ways to adapt various practices to suit my own needs. At the moment I’m leaning into…

Gratitude practice as a spoken-aloud meditation.

Befriending practice as a visual meditation (so I can ‘see’ the struggling parts of myself and let them show me what’s needed).

Creative writing practice as a positive resource (when life is stressful, putting my attention into my tiny stories often shifts my energy or perspective).

None of these practices takes more than 10 or 20 minutes, so they are easy to weave into my day, without feeling like I have to make a huge effort. And they also feel good. Which is perfect for keeping me going until the energy of spring begins to push through.

If you’re curious about imaginative practice, these are some related recordings:

Most of my self-kindness recordings on the Meditations page incorporate imaginative approaches, as does the ‘Supported By The Earth’ recording under Body-Based meditations.

There is an additional befriending practice called ‘Opening To All Of Your Experience’ (follow the link labelled Which Meditation Should I Do)