Mandala, or sacred circles in Sanskrit, represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself. The circle can be found in nature: the sun, moon, rings on a tree, the lotus blossom. It is found in the iris of the eye and every cell of the body.
In Eastern religious practices worldwide, mandalas have been used as meditative tools. They are used as part of healing and transformative art in Native American sand painting, Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist rituals. They became part of modern psychotherapy when, Carl Jung used them with himself and his patients, who would use them to record dreams and work through their issues. Many psychologists, therapists, and cancer centers today, use mandalas with patients as a healing modality.
Coloring mandalas is a fun way to relax, take a break and get us out of the inner dialogue that we carry on. Research has shown that we have approximately, 60,000 thoughts a day and 75% of them are negative. To do your own test, set the timer for 10 minutes and just write whatever thoughts comes into your head. How much was negative?
Mandala coloring is very simple and straight forward. It has been documented that when you engage in right brain activities like coloring or painting, blood pressure drops and endorphins are released. Through this “no thought” process you can suspend inner dialogue and be in the stillness. This place of stillness allows you to recharge your batteries, to connect with your intuition, to learn about yourself and what you want.
Coloring mandalas is affordable and portable. I suggest that you get a box of crayons or colored pencils and bring your mandala coloring book wherever you go, especially places that you consider stressful: waiting at the doctor’s office, traveling or at work. It will give you peace of mind, help you see things more clearly and enhance your overall wellness.
Rae Luskin is an artist, teacher and community activist and the author of Art From My Heart, a self discovery journal. A leader in nurturing self –worth, resilience, healing and social change through creative expression, she is known as the “Healed Heart Expert.” To find more go to www.raeluskin.net.
