By: Ingrid André
Autumn has arrived in Finland and the city is bursting with colors. But as the days are getting shorter and colder, we need plenty of activities to warm our minds and bodies. So, to celebrate World Mental Health Day on 10.10, we got together to take in the wonderful landscapes of Lapinlahti.
Two reasons to celebrate!
The day was rainy and a powerful storm the night before had knocked a few branches to the ground. And something else too was in the air that day: residents had just presented the City of Helsinki with a demand to safeguard the public ownership of Lapinlahti and protect its nearly 200 years of mental health work from the 19th century to the present day. In just eight months, the initiative gathered almost 11 000 official signatures being the fifth most-signed residents’ initiative in Finland and the fourth in Helsinki. This aims to ensure that Lapinlahti and its buildings remain in public ownership for generations to come, as a shared, living cultural heritage site, providing genuine value and well-being to society. Click here to find out more about the initiative.
Venetsia Talo, the old brick house by the waterfront
We met at Venetsia Talo which is currently hosting an art exhibition by The Ukrainian Association in Finland. “Woman in Times of War” brings together Ukrainian and Finnish visual artists to share their reflections and experiences and explores a woman’s perspective on the devastating impact of war. Paintings, embroidery pieces and object-based art are on display until 31.11.2024. For opening hours, follow the link.
Being fully present feels good
To break the ice and warm up, we used a round of simple exercises to invite movement, sounds and playfulness into the space. We shared what we had already noticed on our way to Lapinlahti (the amazing autumn colors were popular but also …it is getting darker!). It seems we shared a common need for relaxation and warmth. Finally, to tune our diverse group of Finnish and non-Finnish participants together, we played a listening game: count from 0 to15, in any language, eyes semi-closed and one at a time in random order. If one talks over somebody else, the group goes back to zero and the game starts all over again. We nailed it the first time so let’s challenge our listening skills and next time, count to 50, eyes fully closed!
Being fully present, but how? Let’s start from the body
Next was a moment of soft sensorial meditation to drop into our bodies and release some of the tensions we carry around in our backs and minds. By using simple, tangible, and easy-to-use cues, we can engage with slightly more attention than in daily life and become fully present, perceiving a maximum of things with minimal attentional effort. Indeed, admiring the beauty of a landscape, smelling the scent of a tree or listening to birds singing is only possible through our five so-called exteroceptive senses. During meditation, these various senses allow us to position our body within space, to position ourselves within our body and to feel the biological effects of this from within. Curiously, to optimize our relationship with the external world, we have to turn our attention towards our inner world. This kind of meditation can also invite a sense of belonging directly within the body; a safe anchor to validate our own presence here and take a little more space. More on Full Presence here.
A simple score for a mindful walk
- Let the path guide your steps and go where you feel the least resistance. Lapinlahti is safe and allows a sense of freedom. Let the air give space to your thoughts and give a sense of perspective. No screens, no agenda, no overstimulation can do wonders for our wellbeing.
- Use your 5 senses (+ your big body ear) to witness the space and yourself in it, openly. How does the air fill your lungs, is it cold, hot? See around, maybe something you never would notice otherwise? Watch out, poetry can be around every corner. And how does the ground feel under your feet?
- Have at least one moment of stillness & silence to absorb what you witness and let things integrate.
- Pick one element – a leaf, a stone, a sound, an image in your head, a surprising thought – to bring back with you. Share with your pair or in your notebook.
By the time we all got back, the lovely sound of clinging teacups filled the room, and the ground was covered with paper, a bunch of charcoal sticks scattered around and ready for use. As we sipped our tea and chatted, we intuitively started to doodle, write and mark the papers. No one needed to worry about how to draw or what to write, it just happened. Eventually, we started interacting with each other’s marks for a collective moment and organically, another kind of map revealed itself. A map of our noticing and our needs, our togetherness and singularities. Somebody was just watching, taking it all in, and somebody could not stop, more space on the paper, more inspiration, more to say!
We closed the evening by sharing our before & after sensations and agreed we should do this very soon again. And for those of you who might worry meditation, drawing or writing is out of reach, I invite you to join us for a free workshop blending sensorial meditation and creative writing in a cozy setting. See you in Luckan in Helsinki on 28.10 from 18-20.30.
About the facilitator – Ingrid André
Ingrid André is educated in the field of dance, art, and psychosomatic practices. She recently received her Diploma in Perceptual Education (University Pessoa, Portugal) and is currently doing an internship with MIELI Without Borders ry to make sensorial practices accessible. She explores unlearning dominant patterns as a way to widen our relational potential.
You can follow her on Instagram at Full Presence Helsinki or visit her page Ingrid Andre (myportfolio.com).
Thanks you to MIITTI ry for supporting our World Mental Health Day event at Lapinlahti and don’t forget to like and follow MIELI Without Borders for more information and events on how to care for your mental well-being.
Photos by Kamilla Fodor