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Mandalas and good health
To relax and to improve concentration, there are many things that can be done. One of this is to colour in a Mandala.
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A mandala is a sacred space, often a circle, which reveals some inner truth about you or the world around you. In Sanskrit mandala means both circle and center, implying that it represents both the visible world outside of us (the circle- whole world) and the invisible one deep inside our minds and bodies (the center- healing circle)
"Mandala art has been used throughout the world for self-expression, spiritual transformation, and personal growth. Mandala is the ancient Sanskrit word for circle and is seen by Tibetans as a diagram of the cosmos. It is used by Native Americans in healing rituals and in Christian cathedrals the labyrinth is a mandalic pattern used as a tool for meditation. An archetypal symbol of wholeness, the mandala was used as a therapeutic art tool by psychologist Carl Jung, who believed creating mandalas helped patients to make the unconscious conscious"
Creating Mandalas
The Tibetan mandala is a tool for gaining wisdom and compassion and generally is depicted as a tightly balanced, geometric composition wherein deities reside. The principal deity is housed in the center. The mandala serves as a tool for guiding individuals along the path to enlightenment. Monks meditate upon the mandala, imagining it as a three-dimensional palace. The deities who reside in the palace embody philosophical views and serve as role models. The mandala's purpose is to help transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones.
What is Sand Mandala
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Mandalas constructed from sand are unique to Tibetan Buddhism and are believed to effect purification and healing. Typically, a great teacher chooses the specific mandala to be created. Monks then begin construction of the sand mandala by consecrating the site with sacred chants and music. Next, they make a detailed drawing from memory. Over a number of days, they fill in the design with millions of grains of colored sand. At its completion, the mandala is consecrated. The monks then enact the impermanent nature of existence by sweeping up the colored grains and dispersing them in flowing water.
How Mandalas Heal
According to Buddhist scripture, sand mandalas transmit positive energies to the environment and to the people who view them.
While constructing a mandala, Buddhist monks chant and meditate to invoke the divine energies of the deities residing within the mandala. The monks then ask for the deities' healing blessings.
A mandala's healing power extends to the whole world even before it is swept up and dispersed into flowing water—a further expression of sharing the mandala's blessings with all.
Benefits of drawing Mandalas
1. Mandalas are designed to calm your mind.
2. Mandalas are healing mediums for the soul
3. Mandalas are the merging of body, spirit and soul
4. They uncover your own creativity
5. You discover yourself and the real you
6. You master your every day life and stress easier
7. You become calm and gain trust and composure
8. They are especially effective when your body is too tired to exercise and your mind is racing or when you need to be still and your body wants to race.
9. Children respond well to drawing mandalas once they understand that the goal is how long they can take and how slowly they can work. Drawing or coloring with your children is relaxing for both of you.
How To Meditate With Mandalas
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Find a mandala that appeals to you.
The instructions for using a mandala for meditation are simple. Just look at it without staring and without thinking about it.
Let your gaze be gentle and soft. Allow yourself to blink normally. When you are looking at a mandala, the only thing you should be doing is looking. Not thinking, daydreaming, visualizing or planning your next date.
Eventually, your eyes will tire. Just close them and rest them. It is helpful to keep "looking" at the mandala in your mind's eye. Then open your eyes when you are sufficiently rested and gaze once again at the mandala.
Do that process for five or ten minutes when you first start. Use a timer. You may add time to your mandala meditation sessions in five minute increments until you are comfortable with up to fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. The time during which you rest your eyes is included.
Unlike other forms of meditation, a visual focus meditation is best used only as a short form (half an hour or less) or merely to get longer meditation sessions started. Looking at a single image for long periods of time can be tiring for the eyes and the mind.