Auckland Mindful Colouring Club

In a world shaped by fast-moving trends and a culture that celebrates constant multitasking, colouring offers a quiet counterbalance. It invites us to slow down, to focus on one simple activity, and to be fully present with our hands and the page in front of us. Beyond the noise, in the unseen and quieter corners of life, there are mindful humans who choose to live more slowly and return to their art each day without urgency or drama. They may appear boring to the outside world, with no chaos to report, yet anyone can choose to live this way.

Auckland Mindful Colouring Club was created as a space for adults who feel drawn to that slower rhythm, a community place to colour and practice colouring techniques together, as well as to cultivate presence and connections.

(Pictures: some of my colouring workshops in 2025)

The Quiet Power of Colouring

Adult colouring is so much more than a creative hobby. When we colour, it becomes a meditative and mindfulness practice. The repetitive motion, the focus on colour choices, and the act of staying with one image all help settle the nervous system. Thoughts could soften. The body relaxes a little more effortlessly. Time feels spacious again.

Colouring helps us to anchor in the present moment, without needing to “clear the mind” or do anything perfectly.

When we colour for a while, the brain typically shifts away from high beta activity and more toward alpha waves, and sometimes even low theta, depending on how relaxed and absorbed we become.

I know, it feels complicated to understand these brain waves stuff. But here’s a simple way I often use to understand it:

Beta waves are dominant when we are actively thinking, analysing, problem-solving, or feeling stressed and alert. This is the state many of us spend most of the day in.
Alpha waves are associated with relaxed focus, calm awareness, and light meditative states. We are awake and attentive, but not tense.
Theta waves can appear when we become deeply absorbed, daydreamy, or creatively immersed, similar to moments just before sleep or in deep meditation.

Colouring, especially when done slowly and without pressure, encourages alpha brainwave activity. Our brainwaves do not stay in one single state, but naturally fluctuate between different states. At the beginning, when we are choosing a colour palette, we may be more in beta. As we settle into the process of colouring, the brain can shift into alpha, and sometimes even theta.

The repetitive hand movements, gentle decision-making, and sustained attention on a single task help calm the nervous system and reduce mental chatter. This is why colouring often feels soothing, grounding, and restorative.

For many people, mindful colouring sits beautifully in that alpha state, a bridge between doing and being. We are present, engaged, and relaxed at the same time.

Here are some researches related to this subject:

A Journal of the American Art Therapy Association study found that structured colouring (e.g., mandalas) lowered anxiety significantly compared to control groups.

The effect of colouring-in on heart rate, Master of Science (Child and Family Psychology)
by Filip Piri, School of Health Sciences
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2018

But the ultimate test is really just our felt experience, how we feel within ourselves when we colour and immerse ourselves in the adult colouring world. Beyond theories, studies, or brainwave language, what matters most is the sense of calm, focus, and quiet joy that arises while colouring.

We notice it in the slowing of the breath, the softening of the body, and the way time seems to move differently. These subtle inner shifts are often the clearest sign that something meaningful is happening.

I often feel more relaxed, spacious and less reactive after colouring for a while.

Mindfulness Through One Simple Act

Mindfulness is often described as paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment. Colouring supports this beautifully. Instead of switching between tasks or screens, we give ourselves permission to do just one thing. One page. One colour at a time.

This kind of focused attention can be deeply nourishing, especially for adults living with stress, anxiety, or creative burnout.

As I often remind myself:

“Meditation brings awareness, art brings joy.”

For me, mindfulness and art are the two wings that helped lift me out of anxiety and stress.

My Journey Into the World of Adult Colouring

I created my first colouring book, The Yoga Girls Colouring Book, back in 2020, and published it in 2024. After that, I found myself diving deeply into the adult colouring world. I published the 3 book series Slow Living colouring also at the end of 2024.

In 2025, I published my first two fantasy colouring books, Sacred Presence and Earthsong, featuring my whimsical and fantasy-inspired illustrations created between 2022 and 2024. Around this time, my artistic focus began to shift.

I did take my sweet time to let go of other mediums such as collage, watercolour, acrylic paint, and Chinese ink so that I could dedicate myself fully to colouring, using alcohol markers and coloured pencils as my 2 main tools these days.

This shift wasn’t about limitation, but about clarity. I wanted to go deeper rather than wider. And the whole 2025 I have seen myself learning, practicing to improve my shading, blending and colour theory on the pages. A lot of my progress was reflected in just 1 book that I completed every single page. You could watch this video here in which I have explained a little more on the process.

A Conscious Shift in My Workshops

Alongside my art practice, I also made a clear decision with my workshops. I stopped hosting meditation sessions, mindfulness tea gatherings, and mixed-medium art classes. Instead, I chose to focus solely on creating the best possible experience for mindful colouring for adults.

In 2025, I hosted only five colouring workshops. It isn't many compared to some years in which I hosted about 20-25 workshops, but it felt like the very beginning of something meaningful. At the same time, I spent most days colouring quietly at home, connecting with online colouring communities through my favorite YouTube channels (for example: Piggy Pens) and Facebook's groups (like The dark/light fantasy colouring group)

While I treasure colouring as my personal “me-time,” I deeply felt the need for something more, especially an in-person community here in Auckland.

Building an In-Person Mindful Colouring Community

Auckland Mindful Colouring Club is my way of bringing together two of the most important aspects of my life: mindfulness and art.

I’ve been practicing meditation, exploring mindfulness, and hosting events since 2014. These practices have shaped who I am and how I move through the world. Now, I want to offer a space where adults can experience the benefits of both without complexity, pressure, or high costs.

This club is for anyone who is curious about colouring, already loves it, or simply wants a slower, more intentional way to unwind and connect with others.

What we will do in the 'Auckland Mindful Colouring Club' gatherings:

Introduction: everyone is welcome to share their name so that we can all acknowledge each other.
An opening Mindfulness practice: a short and simple guided practice to set the intention for the gathering.
Colouring with a theme: you can use your own favourite book and your own art suppiles. Example of theme: "Midnight Magic", "Halloween" or "Summer Moments"
Connection/chat/show and tell at the end.