The benefits of colouring a mandala.

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Blog, Mandala + Art

liza

benefits, handmade, mandalas

Colouring mandalas has gained traction in the last years. Why? Because it has many physical and mental benefits: -Relieves stress -Promotes mindfulness -Helps you sleep better. How, you may ask? Well, research says that you can’t stress about things in your life and focus on colouring in the lines at the same time. Those two activities require the activation of different parts in your brain and it can’t be done simultaneously. Thus, it creates a meditative state. So you can get the well-known benefits of meditation. Being in the present relaxes us, releases feel good hormones, that in turn helps regulate our nervous system etc. What I’d like to add to the conversation: The need we, humans, have to create and to use our hands. In a world that is so technological and where you can find everything ready made, we often forget to “do things”, to create. And this lack of creation brings us sadness and a feeling of uselessness. So, colouring a mandala (a real one, on paper) is relaxing but it also gives us the satisfaction of seeing the mandala coming, of seeing the end result. To know that we’ve done it. 🙂 There is also the […]

Rangolis and Sand Mandalas: What do They Teach Us?

1054

Blog, Mandala + Spirituality

liza

ephemeral, mandalas, patience, skills

I’ve been thinking about sand mandalas and rangolis (there are many other names for those, that’s the name I learned while travelling in Karnataka)… Both are beautiful, ephemeral drawings made with coloured sand (and for rangolis, flowers too). What are Rangolis and Sand Mandalas? For those who don’t know, sand mandalas are a meditation practice of Tibetan Buddhism (that follows a strict ritual procedure); rangolis are drawings made on the threshold of homes or home shrines and they have many symbolic meanings, one being keeping the evil eye at bay and welcoming gods (and people) into the household. So, though the rituals and meanings change a little between the two, I see a connection. And there are many aspects of both that I find interesting: For me, it’s about the time-old philosophy that the journey is more important than the destination. It is a material way of sharing this knowledge. And it also teaches us the importance of doing whatever task we undertake with dignity and patience and love. Trying to be at our best for the pleasure of it, not because we will be socially rewarded. Rangolis are also done as a daily morning household ritual. It’s beautiful having […]

Connection to Nature.

1200

Blog, Natural living

liza

interconnectedness, mandalas, nature

Biophilia and connection to nature. Science has studied the influence that the connection to nature has on us for a long time. Eric Fromm first used the term biophilia (being attracted to all that is alive and vital). It is our innate need to connect with what is alive (animals and plants). Later, Edward O. Wilson popularised the term in his book “Biophilia” (1984). We now know we humans are not only attracted to nature, but that we need it to feel happy and be healthy. Nature can de-stress us and heal our nervous system. Its contact can make us understand (even feel) that we are part of a bigger whole, thus enhancing our will to protect our environment and our planet. Our reality today. We’ve been losing our connection to nature. We spend more and more time indoors and in urbanised areas, and our relation to our natural surroundings (fauna and flora) is weaker. What are the consequences? By losing this connection, two problems arise. The first, we don’t feel part of nature, so we don’t feel the need to protect it. We don’t take care of our environment, so the climate crisis can get bigger and bigger. The […]

Anchoring a mandala and why it can improve your life…

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Blog, Natural living

liza

art print, mandalas

Let me start with a personal story. I’ve travelled a lot in my life (for work and for pleasure). Everywhere I’ve been, when I’ve felt overwhelmed or out of place, I unroll my yoga mat (I’ve been practising yoga for over a decade) and I sit on it. I don’t really need to practise, just sitting on it it makes me feel at home. I feel secure and at peace. All this years of practising have me make an association with the mat and the good feelings I have while I practise. This association is called, in psychology, anchoring. And it can be so powerful. Anchoring can be positive or negative, depending on what connection you’ve made. We use anchoring daily without even knowing it. For example, my anchoring with the mat was there before I knew about this concept. The same way that, smelling a perfume or a dish that bring us to our childhood happiness, is anchoring too. Or, in a negative way. When we associate a smell, an image or a gesture to a bad experience. Why is anchoring so important and why can it be so empowering to harness its power? So, this means that if […]

Have We Forgotten Beauty?

1055

Blog, Mandala + Spirituality

liza

beauty, mandalas

Once, beauty surrounded us in our daily lives. Cities were built with care, full of character. Streets were lined with trees and buildings were meant to be beautiful (think of Gaudí in Spain). But today, these ideas have been forgotten. Our cities have grown greyer and nature is full of garbage and pollution. Even our homes are increasingly smaller and impersonal. In this shift, something deeper has been lost. We’ve not just forgotten outer beauty, but gentleness too. Yet our need for beauty hasn’t disappeared. It’s simply moved. In the absence of it in our surroundings, many of us turn to ourselves. We seek it in our own bodies, sometimes obsessively. “Beauty enhancement” has become the norm: nail art, hair dye, cosmetic procedures. These are not inherently bad. The issue isn’t with the procedures themselves or with the people making them. The deeper issue is this: human beings need beauty. When we’re no longer surrounded by it in our daily lives (in nature, in architecture, in art or in kindness) we search for it elsewhere. And often, the only place left is our bodies. I’ve started to think about this when I was young… My first trip to India at […]

Digital vs Handmade

1359

Blog, Mandala + Art

liza

art print, digital art, handmade, mandalas

Why I Choose to Draw Mandalas by Hand: In an ever more technological and AI based world, why do I choose to draw my mandalas by hand? So many beautiful ones are created (in a fraction of the time it takes me) with computers, so again, why? I think I want to start with a list of pros of each method and then explain my stance on it. Handmade Mandalas Digital Mandalas So, I understand people want to use digital mediums to draw but I like the traditional way. I like to feel the paper and pencil and I love not really knowing how it is going to finish. I feel the mandala is drawn by itself, I am just the hand that does it. And for the viewer there is something special when you look at something imperfect that has been handmade. You can feel the energy, the soul of who designed the art piece you are watching. There is something more humane about it. There is a connection between the artist and the viewer. In the end, both methods are valid. Both create beauty. But for me, hand-drawing mandalas is not just about the result, it’s about the […]

Horizon Gazing Indoors

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Blog, Natural living

liza

art print, horizon gazing, interconnectedness, mandalas

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the concept of “horizon gazing” and it fascinated me. Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford, has discovered that stress narrows our field of vision. One thing is in laser sharp focus and the rest gets blurred. By contrast, when we “defocus” our gaze and we take in a wider panoramic view, we relax, we enter a state of calm. “If you keep your head still, you can dilate your gaze so you can see far into the periphery—above, below and to the sides of you. That mode of vision releases a mechanism in the brain stem involved in vigilance and arousal. We can actually turn off the stress response by changing the way that we are viewing our environment, regardless of what’s in that environment.” Dr Andrew Huberman If you thing about it, it makes sense. When our body/mind worries that there is a threat it will focus our gaze to the things closest to us to make sure no predator will jump on us. When our body/mind doesn’t feel threatened, we can allow ourselves to take in a view and to relax our eyes by defocusing… That is the idea with […]

Mandalas in Cultures.

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Blog, Mandala + Spirituality

liza

cultures, interconnectedness, mandala of life, mandalas

Mandala have been found all across cultures and thought out human history. We find them from East to West in so many different cultures: Dreamcatchers and Medicine Wheels of Native Americans, Aztec Calendars, Cathedral Rosettes in Europe, Buddhist Sand Mandalas… These patterns are more than just beautiful designs, they carry deep spiritual and cultural significance. What is a mandala for? Mandalas ask from you to be patient. Tibetan monks, for instance, spend hours creating their sand mandalas only to erase them once completed. This practice symbolizes that the process itself holds more value than the finished result. Just like in life, the journey is more important than the destination. But it also talks about impermanence, how nothing in this universe is “for ever”. Mandalas are also an invitation to meditation. You can look at the intricate designs and quiet your mind. It allows you to find some inner peace and to know yourself a bit more. Mandalas inspire a sense of beauty and with it, joy. Mandalas also act as links to the divine (Yantra), offering a channel to receive cosmic truths. They are protective symbols believed to ward off negative energies and safeguard the soul. At their core, mandalas […]

Mandalas in Nature

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Blog, Mandala + Spirituality, Natural living

liza

When we think of mandalas, we often picture elaborate drawings – and we’re right, those are mandalas. But mandala-like patterns can be found everywhere in nature: Flowers. Succulents. The human eye. Tree rings. Snowflakes. Spider webs… These are small reminders to pause. To stand in awe of nature – and of the life we’re here to live. We live in mystery. For all our efforts, we don’t truly know why we’re here or how we came to be. And it’s easy to feel uneasy with that truth, so we often hide it behind our to-do lists and constant busyness. But what if we could learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable? To be okay with not knowing?Maybe then, we wouldn’t rush so much. Maybe we’d give ourselves the space to discover more about ourselves, and the vast universe around us. Let nature fill our days as much as possible. Let’s look around and notice all these quiet reminders of mystery and perhaps of our true selves as well. *If you want some daily inspiration, please follow my pinterest account.