Michael threads themes of hope, healing and happiness through his book to accompany each fold of the paper crane, and I have used these themes as inspiration for my adult classes this Autumn term. Folding just one in my experience is a wonderful way to cultivate patience, focus and pleasure and it definitely brings hope, healing and happiness, through creating a little bit of time in the present moment. helps to let go of ego, perfection, and just being with what you are creating with each foldĬranes are mythical creatures in Japanese tradition and are said to live for 1000 years, and folding 1000 cranes in one year is said to make a wish come true. is about the process., each small step along the way and whatever that brings (wonky cranes in my case) gives you something to do - a focus for your mind which helps quieten it The practice of folding a crane, if you allow it to be

I highly recommend it for a daily dose of mindfulness, regardless of whether you want to fold a paper crane or not.įolding a paper crane is said to bring peace, hope, healing and happiness. It is one of those books where you can just open at any page and find exactly what you need in that moment.

I have been really inspired by Michael James Wong’s book, “Senbazuru: Small steps to hope, healing and happiness.” It is a beautiful book in which Michael shares the tradition of folding origami paper cranes and intersperses the instructions with timeless wisdom, quotes and personal stories, as well as lovely, simple illustrations. Senbazuru is the Japanese tradition of mindfully folding paper cranes.

Paper crane steps