Centering Mandalas are a wonderful way to find peace and calm in the midst of your daily life.
Just remain in the center, watching. And then forget that you are there. Lao Tzu
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Beach Stones LiDoña Wagner Feb 2, 2019 |
I advise persons to do a centering mandala whenever they feel fragmented and desire greater balance. You can do one in twenty minutes. Frequently, after drawing one during a twenty-minute gap in my schedule, I go back later and embellish it. Because it is a symbol of wholeness (circle) time spent embellishing is also centering and calming. All of the examples shared below have been embellished.
Materials
- Depending on the size of the journal you’ve selected, you may want to do centering mandalas in your journal so you have a record of your inner life.
- Otherwise, you need a sheet of 8.5” x 8.5” paper. A sheet of copy paper will work but will limit the media you use if you wish to embellish it.
- At least eight crayons, markers, or colored pencils (Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Violet, Brown, Black and Grey) and a pencil. I like to use Derwent Graphitint (softer earth tones) and Inktense (strong colors) pencils.
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Dancing Spirals LiDoña Wagner March 24, 2021 |
Spiral Centering Mandala
- Place the materials in front of you on a table.
- Write the date in the upper righthand corner of blank white paper.
- In the upper left corner write, “Beginning this I feel …” Example: Beginning this I feel conflicted re letting some things go but wanting to hold on to others – frenetic.
- Center yourself. Put both feet on the floor, close your eyes, slow down your breathing, do a body scan, relaxing each part of your body as you move from head to toes.
- When you feel balanced, open your eyes, select a color and draw a large spiral on the paper. (If you’re feeling scattered, go from outside into the center, if not, go from the center to the outside.) Put that color down.
- Fill the entire spiral with color(s).
- When it feels finished, close your eyes and focus your energy. When you are ready, complete the phrase, "Completing this I feel ... ", writing it in the lower right corner of the paper. Example: Completing this I feel there is some place in the universe where there is wholeness and unity. I am calm.
- If it feels right, share your reflections with a friend.
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Earth Jewels LiDoña Wagner July 21, 2019 |
Remember, the important thing is the PROCESS, not the product!