Stressed out professionals are turning to a new therapy: the Zentangle.
A “mindful drawing” craze, in which adults unwind by creating abstract patterns, has taken off in Britain, where more than 20,000 Zentangle books have been sold. Certified teachers of the therapy, which was created a decade ago in America by Maria Thomas, a calligrapher, and Rick Roberts, a former monk, now work across the UK, joining 2,000 in 29 countries worldwide.
It comes off the back of the growing popularity of colouring books for grown-ups, such as Secret Garden, by Johanna Basford, a Scottish illustrator, which has sold more than a million copies.
Jane Marbaix, from Buckinghamshire, became the first Zentangle teacher in 2011 and instructs in a psychiatric unit in Windsor. She said: “It’s very mindful and calming. It relieves stress.” Participants are known as tanglers.