What is a mandala, benefits of painting it yourself and how to interpret it

It seems that the new fashion now are the " Mandalas", They are not only popular as prints on clothes or ornaments, but now they are worn paint them. That is to say, paint ourselves our own mandala. Adults coloring as if they were children? You have to see what people do with fashions!

In this article you will be able to understand what the mandalas are and why they are making a furore.

What is a Mandala?

By Mandala we can understand those drawings that are composed by rounded shapes with concentric circles and repeated patterns. Since time immemorial the circle has been a sacred figure for several characteristics, but especially for having no beginning or end and for representing cycles.

Multiple cultures have used mandalas in various ways, but always related to meditation, relaxation, self-discovery and the reaffirmation of the present.

For example, Tibetan monks use the creation of mandalas as representation of their deities. In them they work hard over several days and weeks in sand fields with colors, starting from the central point towards the edges and respecting the symmetry.

It is a process of creation and connection with their gods. Once they finish their work, they then destroy it as a demonstration of the non-permanence of things in life and begin again.

What it is to color a mandala

Currently, the pace we take from day to day is frantic. Work, household chores, worries, etc. Our mind needs a truce. Many times we experience fatigue and mental fatigue due to this self-inflicted stress.

And just like when we are physically charged, we decided to go to a gym or massage, a good decision to relax the mind could be to color a mandala.

There are many psychologists and therapists who recommend coloring mandalas as a means to connect with oneself, reduce anxiety and reach meditation. They describe it as a meditative state.

Meditation is considered as the art of doing nothing, only of perceiving the present and through the coloring of the mandalas our mind enters a state of concentration in the present that drives away our thoughts and forces us to focus on what pattern we are going to Coloring below. On the other hand, the repetitive visualization of the concentric circles relaxes us.

During the coloring activity, in addition, both cerebral hemispheres are activated to perform this action, this fact does not usually happen throughout the day. Our logical hemisphere is focused on choosing colors, looking for patterns and following an order. It is fully operational. And meanwhile, our creative hemisphere is not stopped, because it depends on the combination of colors and the search for artistic beauty. Both are in sync.

On the other hand, coloring, unintentionally we are transported to our childhood, the work of the school, the evenings entertained with the stories of painting, etc. It helps us to take energy and to look to the future with positivism. At the same time that we reconnect with our inner child we open the door to the sometimes forgotten creativity, which will help us in our daily life to face difficulties in different ways and encourage divergent thinking.

Interpreting the mandalas

I have finished my mandala, the experience has been very positive (probably), do I save it or throw it?

This is a very personal decision, what I do recommend is that you look at it for a moment when it is finished and you notice the little details that you can convey about your mood. The colors used, the pressure and the precision when coloring can give you some clue:

  • The colors used: They can indicate the emotions experienced. For example, if red dominates your mandala, it can be associated with passion, violence or aggressiveness. However, if the predominance is blue, trust, peace and loyalty may be appearing.
  • The pressure: it clarifies the level of tension in which we have developed the activity. In deeper and stronger strokes our body has maintained a greater tension than in the weakest lines. In this way we can also check what our evolution has been throughout this activity. The how we started versus how we ended.
  • The precision when coloring: It can show us the level of concentration and attention that we are lending to the activity since, in greater concentration, our lines will be more precise.

The interpretations are very subjective, but they can help you to recognize your feelings and reflect. This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Psychologist. We advise you to consult your trusted Psychologist. ThemesRelaxation

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