The Activity of My Inner World.

My Inner World is an activity that inspires creativity and promotes self-contemplation through the exploration of our bodily sensations.

In advance, gather all of the resources you will need for this activity: art and craft materials.

Announce that you will soon lead your group through a brief exercise to help them relax and connect to their inner selves. Turning inward is a great way to understand who we are and what we need without judgement or expectation.

Invite your group to get comfortable wherever they happen to be. Sitting or lying down is probably the most comfortable.

When ready, lead a short meditation following the Body Scan script, step by step.

• Once you are seated comfortably, take these next few seconds to relax. Take a big deep breath to relax more deeply.
• I will now guide you through a simple body scan.
• Notice your feet on the floor & the sensations of your feet touching the floor.
• Notice the weight, vibration, temperature and any other sensations.
• Now move up to your legs. Notice the weight, vibration, temperature and any other sensations.
• Notice your back against the chair. Notice what you notice.
• Bring your attention into your stomach area. Notice if your stomach is tense or tight, let it soften.
• Relax and take a breath.
• Notice your hands. What do you notice? Are your hands tense or open? Allow them to soften.
• Notice your arms. Feel the sensations in your arms. Allow your shoulders to be light.
• Notice your neck and throat. Let them soften and relax.
• Soften your jaw. Allow your face and facial muscles to be soft.
• Simply notice and be the observer. Now notice your whole body in this moment.
• Take one more big deep breath. Be aware of your whole body as best you can. Take a breath.
• When you’re ready, you can wiggle your fingers and toes and open your eyes and
  join us back here

The Artistic Phase

Once the body scan is complete, gently shift the focus of your group to the creative part of the activity. To inspire your group’s creativity, pose a series of rhetorical questions such as:

• What did your inner world look and feel like?
• Did you notice which areas of your body were tense or flexible?
• How was your inner world decorated?
• Which areas communicated signals or messages to you?
• What did certain areas look and feel like?
• What colours and sensations did you notice?

You don’t necessarily need any verbal responses, so allow some time for contemplation. Then, instruct each person that you would like them to create a piece of art that embodies their inner world, that is, a visual or graphic representation of how it feels inside their body.

You may start drawing the outline of a generic human body and then proceed to populate inside the body all sorts of imagery and creative materials. Please stress that while this may be an example of what can be created, it should not limit your group’s imagination and creativity.

Allow up to 30 minutes for your group to complete their artwork. To conclude, invite one or more volunteers to share their artwork and a description of their inner world with the rest of the group.

Note, it’s more than just showing their artwork – encourage these folk to share what different elements mean as part of their inner world collage.

Moment of Reflectión

• What does your inner world look and feel like?
• Were you surprised at what you found inside?
• How do you feel about what you created?
• How did you determine how to decorate your inner world, eg why did you use certain materials??What materials or images capture the essence of your inner world? Why?
• Which colours, if any, did you pick to represent your inner world? Why?
• What sticks out to you the most about your masterpiece and why?
• In what ways can you connect with the artwork of others?
• What is your favourite part about your artwork and why?
• Did anything feel hard about creating your artwork?
• In one word how would you describe your inner world?

The topics of this publication: reflection, self, mindfulness, health, relaxation, wellbeing, creativity