Breathing

Breathe in and out deeply a few times and then find your natural rhythm. Observe where and how you feel your breathing. Perhaps you perceive the air moving back and forth in your nostrils; perhaps you feel how the air coming out of your nose flows over your lips; perhaps you feel your chest expanding and contracting to the rhythm of your breath. Remember that there is no one right way to breathe. If you find your mind wandering, gently bring your attention back to your breathing.

This is how a guided meditation could begin. Conscious breathing can be a powerful tool for achieving mindfulness. As a novice meditator, but an experienced overthinker, I understand this as an opportunity to open up to the voices and needs in my body that my anxious intellect tends to ignore.

Diāna Tamane started painting watercolours one day two years ago, when she said she couldn’t do much more than just breathe. This exhibition includes works with a clear pattern as well as more fluid and figurative paintings. With the passing of time, her painting process seems to have become freer and more active. At times, the steady breathwork has become something more physical, perhaps even something similar to action painting, although I do feel awkward to compare these delicate watercolours to the often masculine and heavily woven canvases. However, studying Diāna’s works, it is fascinating to look for traces of the state of their creation among the brushstrokes and water stains mixed with pigments.