Mali Haf and Efa Blosse-Mason have produced a unique meditation for the online creative wellbeing resource, Cultural Cwtsh.
Welsh singer Mali Haf has teamed up with illustrator Efa Blosse-Mason to produce a calming Welsh language mindfulness animation.
‘Myfyrdod’, Welsh for ‘meditation’, takes viewers on a 10-minute mindfulness journey. The session is narrated by Mali, with a soothing accompanying animation created by Efa, a Cardiff filmmaker and illustrator.
The animation is among the latest content commissioned for the Cultural Cwtsh – a free creative wellbeing resource that was originally developed by the Arts Council of Wales in 2021 to support health and social care staff in Wales in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It now hosts more than 70 creative experiences from some of Wales’ leading artists, accessible to all on-demand, with fresh content regularly added.
Ensuring the mindfulness activity was created in the Welsh language, Mali explained, was crucial.
“The world is becoming more aware of mental health, how vital it is and what's putting pressure on it,” she said. “There are so many resources in the English language, but I like to be led through my meditation in Welsh. It's nice to not have to translate continuously and be able to relate directly with the content.”
The Cultural Cwtsh, part-funded by the Welsh Government, is part of an ongoing programme of partnership work in the field of Arts and Health that aims to raise awareness of the proven wellbeing benefits of engaging in the arts.
The resource was designed in consultation with Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW), Social Care Wales, the Welsh NHS Confederation, the Arts and Health Coordinators within each Health Board, as well as focus groups of healthcare workers
Sally Lewis, Programme Manager for Arts, Health and Wellbeing at the Arts Council of Wales, said “Myfyrdod is a gem of a resource to tune into - a soothing balm for winter months and a gentle oasis of creative calm to restore wellbeing. We hope both Welsh speakers and learners will enjoy this latest addition to the Cultural Cwtsh, our varied creative wellbeing resource, designed to bring joy, relaxation and inspiration when you need it most.
“The Cultural Cwtsh is part of our wider programme of arts and health activities that aims to extend the health and wellbeing benefits of the arts to people across Wales.”
Efa and Mali’s mindfulness sessions for the Cultural Cwtsh can be found here – https://culturalcwtsh.wales/myfyrdod