What in mindfulness?
Mindfulness is commonly understood as being aware and deliberately paying attention to the experience of the present moment with kindness and without prejudice.
Activities like yoga, Pilates, tai chi, meditation, adult colouring books and origami can promote mindfulness. Practising mindfulness can help reduce stress, depression and anxiety and improve general mental wellbeing and happiness. In recent years mindfulness has been promoted by the NHS as an effective first step in helping people cope with stress and depression.
Origami + Mindfulness =#mindFOLDness
Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding and has been shown to promote relaxation, improve memory, patience and hand eye coordination. It is also effective at promoting mindfulness and creative thinking.
I call origami ‘yoga for the mind’ as it allows you to stretch and exercise the creative and artistic areas of your brain that most of us don’t utilise on a day to day basis.
Origami is a gender and age neutral activity and something that can be practise anywhere as long as you have a piece of paper.
In the workshop
In the 60 minutes workshop you will typically learn 2 to 3 models. Each model is preceded by a story to help focus your mind on a positive or inspirational value.
You will find that origami is fun and relaxing activity that allows you to quieten your mind and allows you to focus, concentrate and be in the present moment.
Origami is a relaxing and peaceful hobby, a beautiful art, a craft, a science and a meditation all in one. When you are folding paper, there is stillness, calm and an inner peace. There is something beautiful in turning a plain flat piece of paper into an amazing three dimensional object with just your own hands. It’s one of the simplest art forms in that it just requires a piece of paper and your hands – there’s no need for tools such as pens, brush, inks and paints.
About the book
The Book of Mindful Origami was released on the 7th April 2016 and it contains 16 models each with clear step by step instructions.
The book comes with 12 pull out sheets with printed crease patterns that will aid you in completing each model, the pull out sheets can be colored in before folding.
While folding paper you are using your hands, eyes and mind. It allows you to quiet the mind, block out distracting and negative thoughts and allows you to focus on the present moment.
Each model within the book has an inspiring quote and suggested meditation topic.
If you are folding a paper plane, your thoughts might stray to your childhood days of playing in a playground or another happy memory of childhood play. If you are folding a heart you will naturally focus on the person you love. Each model has a symbolism to focus on.
About Sam
Samuel Tsang is a London-based origami teacher. He has folded origami since a child and has been teaching professionally since 2003. During that time he has introduced origami to thousands of students in corporate team building and public workshops. Sam has worked with over 100 companies including some of the world’s top internet and luxury good brands.
He specialises in making beautiful bespoke origami first anniversary bouquets out of paper and undertakes commissions from private individuals and businesses. He was also the main organiser for the Guinness World Record for the largest display of origami elephants that is permanently displayed at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
He lives with his wife and two daughters in a house full of origami.