Mandalas and meditation
In various spiritual traditions, mandalas are used as an important meditation tool – a means to focusing the attention of practitioners. Used as a spiritual guidance tool, mandalas help establish a sacred space. They act as an aid to meditation and trance induction.
Because of its symmetrical shape, our attention is immediately directed to the centre. The design of the mandala absorbs the mind in such a way that chattering thoughts may cease.
The mandala acts as a support for the meditating person. The design is something to be repeatedly contemplated to the point of saturation. A mandala can have an almost hypnotic effect. By letting the creative (right side) hemisphere of our mind run a little more freely we give our analytical mind the chance to rest.
Steps to meditating with a mandala
- Choose a Mandala that appeals to you or its meaning resonates with you.
- Set an intention before focusing on it.
- Once you have set your intention, begin to focus on the mandala.
- Let your eyes take in the beauty of the designs, allowing your mind to wander as it will. If your mind begins to chatter (i.e., I should do laundry, I need to pick up the kids, simply bring your attention back to the beauty of the mandala.
- Get inside the mandala.Let it absorb all of your attention.As you fall into the mandala, you will begin to feel lighter, and intuitive thoughts may arise.
- Relax and float with the thoughts and feeling that come to you.
- If you begin to feel lost, uncomfortable or if you get the “chatter” again, simply focus your attention back on meditating with the mandala.Meditating will leave you more relaxed, giving you a resolution or clarity concerning the intention that was set before the meditation.
Mandala Colouring
Another form of mandala meditation is to make or color a mandala of your own.
Painting, coloring or drawing mandalas allows for our creative brain to come out and play. It can lead to an altered state where we can perform constructive healing. and gain incredible insight into ourselves and our lives.
To learn more about Mandala Yoga visit here.
To learn more about meditation check out this post or why not give a guided meditation class a go?