How To Origami and the Wellbeing Benefits

“Did you know origami is believed to bring good fortune? According to ancient Japanese belief, folding 1000 paper cranes can bring luck into your life.

With origami meeting at the intersection of psychology and art, here are 5 reasons you should incorporate origami into your life.

1. Enhance Your Mind

Studies have shown that this ancient art form can help to improve attention spans, spatial awareness and enhance memory. With each fold and motion, we are tasked with formulating the perfect fold whilst creatively imagining what we are developing. This means we are activating our brains to think both cognitively and meditatively.

2. Let Go Of Judgement

If origami can teach us anything, it's that patience is a virtue and that there is no place for self-judgement. As humans, we aren’t built to be machine-like; instead, we are creative and can stumble upon errors, sometimes even making beautiful mistakes that transcend into art.

Mindfulness coach Neil Seligman  suggests “starting with more accessible origami models, first trying a simple crane, star or boat shape; in this way, you can learn to develop your skills of focus, patience and ease, knowing that you are improving with each fold.”

3. Boost Concentration and Creativity

Studies have shown that Focal-Attention-Meditation, whereby a person concentrates solely on an object (origami) or image, significantly changes the brain increasing creative skills and concentration. Similarly, Neil sees the link between meditation and origami as being “associated with the cultivation of mindful attention due to its ability to help slow down busy minds and bring simplicity into focus.”

By activating your senses through bright colors and tactile papers, the mind is eased by the following of simple, often repeated instructions. A steady hand, gentle breathing and an uncluttered mind lead to the best results. Origami is a beautiful form of a creative, moving meditation that can be done anytime and anywhere.

4. A Collective Experience

Origami can act as a gateway to meditation as it helps to quiet the brain and facilitates a calmer emotional state. You might think that makes it a solo activity but quite the contrary, “the magic of origami is its capacity to bring friends and family together in a collective meditative experience, which can allow for both laughter and vulnerability,” says Neil. By engaging both the hands and minds in a collective experience, origami is the perfect tool to bring people together for an afternoon of creative fun.

5. Sustainable Decor

Decorating with origami-style accessories can add a dose of chic geometry to your home, but before you shop for origami paper look around you. Chances are you have plenty of unused paper at home - in fact, an estimated 85 million tons of paper is wasted per year. With this in mind, why not repurpose that patterned wrapping paper in your cupboard or yesterday’s newspaper into your very own origami accessory, or even better, gift it to a loved one.”

Read the full article on Rituals

✨Takeaway: The wellness trend to try this holiday season is origami. The attentive practice of paper folding has numerous health benefits. It's also a great creative gift or decor.

✨Reflection: Have you ever tried Origami? If not, would you give it a try?

#Origami #Wellbeing #Wellness #Psychology #Hobby #Interest #Mindulness