Forget adult colouring books – Zentangle is the new way to relieve stress and meditate through art

Flight delays bring out the worst in some people. But travel disruptions don’t bother Hongkonger Cindy Chan. She sees them as a chance to create a Zentangle, a relaxing doodle technique based on repeated circles and flowing lines that’s taking the world by storm.

Zentangle follows the mantra of “one stroke at a time” and is the practice of mindfully creating beautiful images from repetitive, structured patterns.

Often mistakenly called “Zendoodling” or “tangle doodling”, Zentangle was trademarked in 2003 by Americans Rick Roberts and Mary Thomas. While the name is relatively new, the practice is inspired by the Zen philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism that emerged around the 1st century AD and tunes into the value of spiritual development.

Many people today turn to the freehand doodling of Zentangle to find peace during stressful times. Chan is somewhat of a “tangling-holic,” with no clean surface safe from her creative urges. She’s left her mark on shoes, hoodies, fans, wall clocks, phone covers, umbrellas, tissue paper (“Tempo brand is better than Kleenex”), rocks found while hiking and body parts.

“I went to the United States to keep my niece company because she was having knee surgery,” says Chan. “Before her operation I did a Zentangle on her knee and joked that I had to make sure the doctor operated on the correct leg … The doctor and nurses had a good laugh.”