For a few hours on Sunday afternoon, a group of Mumbaikars, stepped away from the noise of everyday life and immersed themselves in an unusual creative experience. The Bombay Times Life Styled Club hosted the Feel and Paint Workshop, that combined blindfold painting with sound healing, encouraging participants to let go of perfection, quiet their minds and express themselves freely.The session was conducted by art facilitator Lavanya Rastogi, founder of an art-and-therapy platform, along with yoga therapist and sound healer Shikha Jhunjhunwala.A PAUSE FROM EVERYDAYExplaining the idea behind the workshop, Lavanya said, “This workshop is about a nervous system reset. When you are constantly seeing and hearing multiple stimuli, your mind becomes cluttered. This workshop gives you a small, relaxing pause where you create something beautiful to take home. When you aren’t seeing, you stop looking for perfection. Blindfold painting removes the pressure to perform perfectly and helps you let go. It allows you to process your emotions without feeling overwhelmed.”PAINTING TO HEALING FREQUENCIESThe workshop began with Shikha guiding participants through three breathing techniques to help them settle into the moment. Once blindfolded, they painted freely while she played singing bowls and other sound-healing instruments, filling the room with calming frequencies that complemented the creative process. For many, the experience was both therapeutic and liberating. Investment advisor Leena Pathare from Vile Parle, who had never painted before, said, “This was wonderful. I wanted to try something different from my daily routine. I’ve never painted before, and today I absolutely loved creating this.”Former banker-turned-entrepreneur Bhumika Jain from Santa Cruz, who painted bright flowers and shrubs, found the combination deeply immersive. “I love painting and have attended sound healing sessions before, but this was the perfect blend of both. Once I was blindfolded, I experienced painting in a completely different way- I just let everything be, without trying to control it,” she said. Recalling what she visualised during the session, Bhumika added, “It felt as though I was running through meadows filled with flowers, with birds chirping all around me.“CREATING WITHOUT JUDGEMENTReal estate developer Raunak Mehta from Juhu attended the workshop with his wife, Avani Saghvi Mehta. “My wife brought me here, and this is the first time we’ve done something like this together. I used to paint many years ago, so revisiting it in this way was a completely new experience,” he said. Avani added, “I loved the sounds. They were incredibly refreshing. I had attended a sound healing workshop before, but combining it with painting made this experience even more special.“Advocate Sweta Doshi from Vile Parle appreciated the freedom that came with painting without expectations. “Blindfold painting means you don’t know what’s emerging on the canvas, and later you shape it into something you want. It was wonderful to sit with myself, paint to these calming sounds and leave all my worries at home,” she said.Another participant, Geeta Bhatia, admitted meditation had never appealed to her. “I’m usually restless and have a wandering mind, but I absolutely loved today’s one-of-a-kind workshop,” she said.As participants finally removed their blindfolds to discover vibrant, instinctive artworks on their canvases, they left with more than colourful paintings. They carried home a reminder that slowing down, trusting the process and letting go of perfection can sometimes be the most creative act of all. Event Partner:Happy HikkupsVenue Partner: Redbox Cafe, Juhu
