A new initiative to reduce anxiety and stress during curfew
By Bernadine Rodrigo
Yasodhara Pathanjali is well known in Sri Lanka for being an incredibly creative artist and designer, blessing us with wonderful creations upon which our eyes and minds can feast. A fact that might be a little less known about her, however, is that she is also a life coach specialising in creativity coaching, coaching parents, and therapeutic art to help reduce anxiety and stress.
Yasodhara uses therapeutic art activities especially designed by her in order to bring focus, productivity, and peace to clients, both corporate and private, particularly in times of high stress. She combines facets of meditation, breathing exercises, and visual affirmation to help people battle feelings of helplessness, being lost, and being overwhelmed.
As islandwide curfew was imposed in Sri Lanka, Yasodhara received an overwhelming number of messages from people struggling to cope with being stuck at home with limited resources, surrounded by uncertainty. So she devised a plan to help as many people as she could, giving birth to an online seven-day therapeutic art programme.
This programme is run through direct messaging on her instagram (@yasodhara_pathanjali ). So far in the two weeks she has run these programmes, she has helped more than 50 individuals from different age groups, countries, and creative abilities. Each morning, she gives them a list of activities with direct and clear instructions on what they should do, with guidance on the therapeutic aspects to focus on and assurance that she is available for further support.
The activities generally fall into one of two categories. The first category is meditation and breathing-focused, exploring brush strokes or pencil strokes and one’s movement to create relaxation and inner peace. This is done as an alternate method to the traditional meditation which can be very difficult for some people including Yasodhara herself. Rather, focusing on the movement and the strokes can help someone let go of their troubles more easily than simply closing your eyes and giving space for the mind to wonder.
The second type of activity focuses on positive affirmation and building futures that bring happiness. This is achieved through creating visual representations of what life, self, and future can be; materialising it; and therefore allowing you to imagine, visualise, and action for a better future in a more real and tangible way.
“Humans respond better to visual representation anyway,” she said. She explained that although someone might try to tell oneself that he or she is okay, actually capturing the emotions or feelings graphically has much more impact.
Yasodhara very consciously works to make sure these therapeutic art programmes are not just for those who know how to draw, but for anyone even if they don’t think they can draw. She makes sure everyone involved is comfortable doing so and can do so with any materials they have – be it children’s crayons or coloured pens.
In this way, Yasodhara is truly providing us an opportunity to engage ourselves in something that helps in this time of crisis. She has more groups starting all the time, so if you would like to participate, do drop her a message on Instagram. Surely, it’s an opportunity not to be missed.
