Mandala Meditation

Sanskrit for "circle", a mandala represents a circular order of the universe; the mind and body become intertwined as you follow the design from one point to another. This process is another way, an easier way to meditate that appeals to the creative, artistic side of me. As I sit at my dining room table with three different sets of markers of many colors and varied tips, I study the mandala and choose my colors. And, even before I lay the first color down, I notice a shift in my focus from the outisde chatter of the world to an internal quiet. The meditation begins as I breathe with awareness and notice how my body relaxes into the process. And the next moment, I catch myself rushing, I become distracted by a sound or a thought and then my mind leaves the mandala and attaches to something else until I bring it back to the colors and the circular design. This dance between self and the mind repeats itself over and over as i continue to settle into this spiritual mandala process. And each time I sit with my mandala, I stay a little longer, with a little more focus and awareness of how I am experiencing the process. This is meditation.