Mandala mindfulness drawing activities are a visual technique for training attention and awareness, putting the mind in a calm and stable state, and exercising your creative muscle. Cultures around the world have drawn mandalas for centuries. You can use a variety of mediums, from paint to sand, to draw them. All mandalas have the same radial symmetry, and after you lay it out, you can simply let your spirit roam free.
Mandala mindfulness drawing activities are an embodied practice. In other words: bring yourself (your mind and your body) to the present moment and get immersed in the act of drawing without doing anything else simultaneously.
The first step to mandala mindfulness drawing activities are is to practice drawing different patterns. From the floors we walk on to the bark on a tree, textures, and patterns are everywhere. By using simple lines to build patterns, you can develop your drawing skills as well as your eye for detail. In the boxes (right), try to complete the different patterns. Some are simple, while others are more complex, but you can try whatever feels right to you.
Mindfulness is all about observation, and so is drawing. Both require you to slow down and pay close attention to what’s in front of you. Drawing is a great way to practice mindfulness because it allows you to be focused in the present moment – in what is happening right in front of you.
After a bit of practice with patterns, you’ll be ready to draw mandalas. We’ve given you two grids (right), or you can use your own blank paper. You can use any medium you want to draw your mandala, including pencils, pens, crayons and felt-tip pens. You can also draw any shape or pattern you want, such as circles, triangles, petals, dots and raindrops. You can begin in the middle or wherever else your inspiration leads you – let your imagination guide you as you draw. Just keep in mind that the main aim of drawing a mandala is to keep the circular symmetry, so if you draw a shape in any section, repeat it in the same place in the other seven sections. Don’t rush. Take it slow, draw one repeated shape at a time and most importantly, have fun.
Mandala Mindfulness Drawing Activities to try
The patterns below will give you some inspiration but don’t be afraid to try your own!
MANDALA TEMPLATES
Create your own mandala (below left) or continue the one that we’ve started (below right).
