Knitting for Health

Herbert Benson, M.D. is the founder of the Mind-Body Institute at Harvard Medical School. His very popular book The Relaxation Response explored the health benefits of transcendental meditation and other calming, centering practices. For centuries religious people have known about the power of quiet prayer and meditation to bring the mind under control, quiet the brain, relax the body, and rejuvenate the spirit. In Eastern religions various types of meditations have long been practiced. Catholics throughout the centuries have found peace, focus, and joy in the quiet practice of praying the rosary every day. I remember how my grandmother, when things were chaotic and noisy in the house, would glance at her watch (it never mattered what time it was) and say, “Excuse me, it’s time for me to say the rosary.” Then she’d slip off to a quiet bedroom, close the door and get some peace.

Dr. Benson’s book Timeless Healing expands upon the health benefits of quiet, centering time. He outlines these steps:

1. Choose a “focus word” that you can repeat in your head as you center. This can be a mantra, a word such as “Ohm” or anything that you like – peace, relax, quiet, melody, ocean, calm.
2. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
3. Relax your muscles through a conscious tensing and then relaxing throughout the body.
4. Breathe slowly and naturally repeating your focus word.
5. Don’t criticize yourself. If your mind wanders just think “oh well” and return to your focus word.
6. Practice for twenty minutes, twice daily if possible.

Some people can do this without being otherwise occupied, just sitting quietly, But many find it beneficial to have a centering activity. Walking meditation has grown in popularity among those who have access to a quiet place to walk. Some people find a repetitive sports activity such as jogging or swimming to be effective for them. Many people use tai chi, chi gong or yoga in the same way. However, Dr. Benson adds some other interesting alternatives — prayer, of course, Lamaze breathing exercises, and ... knitting and crocheting. "Working with yarn provides stress relief," says Dr. Benson. "Like meditation or prayer, knitting allows for the passive release of stray thoughts. The rhythmic and repetitive quality of the stitching, along with the needles clicking resembles a calming mantra. The mind can wander while still focusing on one task."

Those of us who knit or crochet on a regular basis know how calming it can be to sit quietly with our work and just melt into the pleasure of it. Of course, this assumes you are not working on anything that requires a lot of concentration. When I am trying to learn a new lace pattern I am far from calm and centered. But it is good to always have a simple, undemanding project in progress for those meditative times. Lots of people knit socks as their “easy” project. That would probably drive me nuts. But long, simply knit scarves or the body of sweaters and shawls in simple stitches can lull me into a state of utter quiet and peace.

The health benefits are amazing. Better concentration, lowered blood pressure, improved sleep habits, reduction in chronic pain, boosting the immune system resulting in fewer colds and viruses are among the benefits documented at the Mind-Body Institute.

So last night I decided to try knitting meditation. I tend to multi-task — listening to audiobooks or the radio which is also very pleasant but my mind is always racing. Last night I put on some quiet, meditative music, got comfortable in my rocking chair, relaxed my muscles and picked my focus word — “believe”. I have a summer sweater in progress knit in plain stockinette out of a silky, soft pima cotton. It was a wonderful experience.

We all know our lives are too busy, our worries too many and our time to packed. But those of us who take time to knit also know the quiet beauty of the rhythm of the stitch. I loved this new (to me) way of knitting and am going to try to develop a daily practice around it. If nothing else, I’ll get a few projects done.

Thanks for reading.