5 reasons why painting a mandala is like meditation

Painting a mandala is a therapeutic artistic activity that helps you de-stress and calm down. 

It’s not only about doing art, painting a mandala is like doing meditation. Here is why.

1. It balances & centers you.

Mandalas are centered around a point. They are circular in nature and hence in a balance. Painting a mandala develops a thought that everything around us, in our lives, is in a balance.

Balance of good & bad, the balance of success & failure, the balance of health & sickness.

This thought centers you and makes you better prepared for bad phases because you know that the good phase will be there too.

2. It gets you in the flow of creation & makes you focus on the present.

When you paint a mandala, all your attention goes towards maintaining symmetry. You get engrossed in the patterns and get into focussed creation.

If done with an intention, painting a mandala lets you be in and enjoy the present.

3. It develops patience & increases your concentration power.

Painting a mandala is a slow process. You need to be patient to draw the patterns & maintain symmetry. If you are dot-painting, your attention & concentration span increases manifolds.

We are living in times of instant distractions. Painting a mandala gives the satisfaction of deep, focussed work.

4. It’s all about the process, not the end result.

A lot of us get stuck at the end result of any activity that we do. We want our artwork to look good.

I have never seen a mandala that isn’t pretty.

Knowing that the final mandala will be good relaxes us. We enjoy the process of creation without worrying about the final look.

5. It’s a calming experience.

When you paint a mandala:

• you are attentive
• your mind is highly coordinated
• you become sensitive to colours
• you are focused and slow
• you feel deeply satisfied

With a comfortable environment and the right intentions, mandala painting can be a very calming experience.

If you wish to try mandala painting, please check out step-by-step instructions on mandala projects.

Want to practise art relaxation with other art projects?

If you want to start at a basic level, download and print these colouring sheets and take out some time colouring them.

You may also give ‘Paint By Numbers‘ activity a try. You don’t have to worry about the art supplies, you have fun painting it and the end result is always great.

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