You want to develop your creativity. What are some mindfulness techniques that can help you?

Once you have adopted exploration as your mindfulness intention, try to discover what enhances your creativity regardless of the time and place you are in. Of course, being in nature, visiting an art gallery or a touristic trip full of historical monuments can facilitate this. But if you can't do any of these things, approach your surroundings with a beginner's mindset. You can also think of it as a game. For example, you can do mind practices such as how many different objects you can make from a paperclip or how many different purposes you can use it for. Or you can open your ears to new sounds, maybe you can hear the sound of construction right now, but can you start to hear the sound of vehicles and seagulls? What about your breath?

Dive into the realm of creativity with a fresh perspective: observe your thoughts. Mindfulness offers a gateway to unraveling the constraints of habitual thinking. By embracing thoughts without judgment, you liberate your creativity from the shackles of assumptions and biases. Explore new realms of possibility, discovering connections and inspirations previously obscured by the noise of the mind.

From physiological perspective, if most of the time you use left /logical/ hemisphere of the brain (as the result of education or profession), it becomes dominant and make it more difficult to tap into your creative potential. In order to balance the work of both creative and logical parts of the brain there exist a number of mindful exercises: 1. Alternating nostril breathing, inhale and exhale with one nostril close it and do the same with another repeat for 10 mins, every day. 2. Bilateral stimulation - e.g. tossing the object from one hand to another, other exercises that alternate right and left side of the body including mindful walking, etc. 3. Listening to bilateral music, important to do it in your headphones.

To tap into your creativity, try practicing mindfulness techniques like deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and ground yourself. Engage in activities that bring you joy and inspire your imagination, such as nature walks, painting, or journaling. Remember to stay present in the moment and embrace the flow of ideas without judgment or expectation.

Can you try an everyday activity that has become mindless (i.e brushing your teeth) to reflect on yourself? We often feel "too busy" and we all have only 24 hours in a day. What are you doing anyway (eating, driving to work, etc) where you can take a moment to be curious about your current state? I've been studying mindfulness in high-level performance since 2006 and it has recently become very trendy. It's also been very overcomplicated. You can be mindful in 30 seconds if you are conscious about it. Just be curious about your state WITHOUT judgment. It's the main key tool I use for managing my #ADHD ?? Dr. Saara

Harness the power of creativity by honing in on your senses. Mindfulness amplifies sensory experiences, unveiling a tapestry of detail and richness. By immersing yourself in sights, sounds, and sensations, you unlock a realm of inspiration. Embrace the present moment fully, igniting curiosity and fostering innovation in your creative endeavors.

All sensory perception happens in the present moment, right here and now. You cannot have a sensory perception in the past or in the future. You had and will always have it now. That's why focussing on your senses is a gateway back to the present moment. By becoming acutely aware of your sensory perceptions you get out of your head and back into your body. This shift of attention helps to get out of thought loops and invites the freshness of this moment back into your experience.

Unlock the doorway to innovative solutions by meditating on your creative challenges. Mindfulness serves as a bridge to intuition and insight, guiding you towards novel perspectives. Define the problem, then surrender to the stillness of the mind. Embrace open-ended inquiry, inviting your inner wisdom to illuminate unexplored paths and reveal unforeseen solutions.

Creativity can't be forced. It is a dance that requires playfulness, mindfulness and a bit of movement to want to come out and play. If you are feeling stuck, get up from your desk and go outside for a few mindful breaths to reset. Pause to feel the sun on your face, listen to the birds, study a flower, etc. Be fully present for a few moments. It will help clear the pathways to creativity. Take it a step further and go for a mindful walk. Put your phone on DND, leave your headphones at home. Just be present in nature. Mindful movement is a wonderful way to stir creativity. Not a fan of walking? Dance it out! The idea is to get up from your desk and tap into the wisdom your body knows.

To meditate on a problem is not the same as thinking about a problem or its solution. Before you enter the meditation it is helpful to set your intention. Hold the problem or the question in your awareness and ask (within yourself) for the solution or the answer. Then let it go and enter the meditation fully trusting the process. Let your thoughts pass by like clouds without engaging with them. Let your sensory perception pass by in the same way. Open yourself up to silence/emptiness. From here the solution/answer may reveal itself to you, like an idea bubbling up from the gut – gut instinct.

Embrace the power of emotions in fueling creativity through mindfulness. Acknowledge and accept your feelings without judgment, allowing them to flow freely. By channeling emotions into creative outlets, you transform raw energy into artistic expression. Through this process, you not only nurture your creativity but also cultivate emotional well-being and resilience.

It's worth looking up a tool summarizing a range of emotions and familiarize yourself with them – like the ?Wheel of Emotions? for example. In case you are not familiar with sensing and expressing emotions I recommend checking in several times a day with a simple inquiry. You can ask yourself: ?What am I feeling right now?? Knowing the ?Wheel of Emotions? and practicing the check-in for 1-2 weeks will bring you up to speed with sensing and expressing your emotions.

Unleash your creative potential by embracing a playful mindset through mindfulness. Engage in activities that tickle your intellect and spark joy, from puzzles to daydreams. By infusing your mind with lightheartedness and curiosity, you expand your capacity for innovation and originality. Embrace the freedom to explore, experiment, and delight in the endless possibilities of your imagination.

Taking away seriousness and introducing playfulness can be tremendously helpful to get unstuck mentally and access new ideas. We learn very fast when we play! Your mind is a great tool for that. - Turn your thoughts around to their polar opposites - Create variations of your ideas (even if they sound ridiculous at first) - Let go of your judgements. Censoring yourself is harmful for any creative process. You are allowed to have ?crazy? ideas.