Knitting Zen

Guidebook, knitting needles and a ball of yarn on a marble surface

"Jim taught me to knit on a peaceful little Caribbean Island. I’m an attorney who never considered doing anything meditative. Now I can’t stop."
~ Rodney G.

Knitting Heals the Body and the Mind 

I have enjoyed the many benefits that knitting provides, from acquiring patience and reducing stress to quitting a couple rather undesirable habits and processing life’s unpleasant challenges.

Today, I offer Knitting Zen programs: individual classes, multi-day courses or knitting retreats. For more information, contact me.

Be well,
James' Signature

Knitting and Zen meditation share the same benefits.

  • A meditation-like state
  • Relief from stress
  • Focused self-control
  • Regulating the mind with counting or watching the breath
  • Awareness of the stream of thoughts while allowing them to pass without interference
  • Staving off depression
  • Improving self-esteem
  • Enhanced social skills
  • Quitting bad habits

Harvard Medical School Research

  • Repetitive needlework can induce a relaxed meditation-like state
  • Lowers heart rate and blood pressure
  • Reduces harmful levels of the stress hormone cortisol
  • Increases energy
  • Helps arthritic fingers remain more dexterous

Mayo Clinic Psychiatrist’s Research

  • Suggests knitting may stave off a decline in brain function with age
  • Reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s