The Art of Relaxation is a very fine art, but surprisingly, we are never taught it in school. But why not? Relaxation is crucial to health and happiness, it is vital for clarity of thought, spontaneity and creativeness, and it can be learnt – it is just that it is rarely taught. We have noticed a strange phenomenon in TGM – whenever an aquascaper is at work, the whole atmosphere becomes noticeably more relaxed, calmer and more grounded.
Above: ‘Triptych’ by professional aquascper James Findley represents three forms of Nature: Mountain, Beach and Forest.
Read more about the artisitc inspiration for ‘Tryptich’ , and watch an HD video of it by viewing it here in our Aquascape Journals – Triptych: An Aquascape by James Findley.
Perhaps it is because the art of creation is inherently calming – it is an instinctive act that quietens our conscious minds that are otherwise so easily overcome by worry, circular thoughts and fast-paced thinking. Aquascaping subtley, gently hushes these worrisome tendencies, grounding us in the moment. Even admiring an aquascape has this effect on people – it draws us in so deeply that we forget what we were thinking about, and become so absorbed by the natural beauty of the aquascape that our troubles melt away as they pale into insignificance against the backdrop of nature.
Aquascaping is so instinctive, so natural, so peacefully absorbing that it allows us to escape our complex, cognitive lives for a precious moment. It gives us the gift of allowing – of just being, of living in the now, not the future or the past. This is invaluable in our society in which many popular activities like watching TV, browsing the web, using social networking sites, do not have this magical ability to ground us so strongly and immediately – to escape our cognitive cages and allow the moment to wash over us and calmly cleanse our over-worked minds.
So why not go and practice the art of relaxation by indulging yourself in aquascaping right now…
Like this article? Other articles and Aquascape Journals
