Apr 25, 2025

"Carving Out" Inner Peace

Woodcarving, a craft that is believed to have originated more than 12,000 years ago, is finding new life today as a mental health practice. Woodcarving workshops are flourishing in the UK and some carvers even offer videos of the meditative practice to audiences of thousands.

One carver, Maryanne McGinn (72 years young), has been carving for about a decade. “I started when I was unhappy, angry and resentful, and searching for a new direction,” she said. “When you carve, you have to concentrate so hard that everything else disappears: there is no room for you to ruminate on the things that would normally pester you. You get into a flow state. It’s a wonderful sensation.”

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