Mandala art has been gaining popularity in the West over recent years due to its ability to reduce stress. This ancient art form has been captivating people for thousands of years, but what is the science behind it?
Mandalas relieve stress in a variety of ways:
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- Something soothing to focus on
- Relaxing repetition
- Form of meditation
- Calming symmetry
- Reducing impulsive behaviors
- Sense of accomplishment
- Comfort of ritual
- Teach you to let go
- Improve mental functioning
- Quiet inner chatter
- Time away
- Self-expression
Mandalas can be excellent tools to add to your self-care toolbox, in addition to other relaxing or restorative practices. Find out more about mandalas’ stress-relieving properties and the science behind the benefits in the section below.
They Give You Something to Focus On
According to psychologists, one way to relieve stress, especially if it’s stress caused by a specific problem or situation, is to shift your focus to something else. This effectively stops your brain from running in circles around a problem, giving it a much-needed rest. You can focus on something complex that won’t allow your brain room to drift back to your problem, or you can choose something more soothing to give yourself a break. Mandalas are perfect, being intricate enough not to be wholly mindless but repetitive enough that you can zone out a little and recharge.
Repetition Leads to Relaxation
Because mandalas use many repeated shapes and patterns, drawing or coloring one is a very repetitive activity. Therapist Caroline Robboy says that science has shown to reduce stress and anxiety in the following ways:
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- Shifting focus away from conscious problems and into a more soothing unconscious state
- Repeating motions helps the body physically get rid of anxious energy.
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The use of repetition as a self-soothing mechanism is instinctual; look at how people in shock often start rocking back and forth, for example.
Form of Meditation
Although many people think of sitting cross-legged on a cushion when they picture meditation, meditation can be done in several ways. Repetitive, low-energy activities like coloring mandalas are perfect for practicing mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation is known for:
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- Boosting mood
- Improving concentration
- Reducing reactivity (temper)
- Improved immune function
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All mindfulness meditation requires is focusing on the present moment without judgment. Bring your focus to the action of coloring and how it feels in the body, letting go of worries about how the picture is turning out.
Symmetry Is Nature’s Stress Cure
A mandala’s symmetry is no different from the symmetry found in nature, which enhances its soothing effect. The symmetrical designs of mandalas are the antithesis of the inner chaos that accompanies stress and anxiety, restoring a sense of order. Mandalas’ symmetry is also another example of repetition, which, as we know, is in itself soothing.
Mandalas Reduce Impulsive Behaviors
Restorative activities that promote mindfulness, like drawing mandalas, are shown to reduce impulsive behaviors. If you’re stressed, you might notice that you’re more reactive and more likely to lose your temper and say or do something you’ll regret later. Reduced impulsivity will allow you the mental space between a triggering event and a potentially inappropriate reaction to it, allowing you to act more skillfully. This also works for ADHD and addiction (as a supplement to other treatments, not solo). The ability to control reactions when it comes to specific habit patterns and reactions will lead to better choices, which will reduce stress in both the short and long run.
They Provide a Sense of Accomplishment
If you’re having a tough time and it seems like nothing’s going right, completing something relatively simple, like a mandala, can give you a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes we need to give ourselves an “easy win” that we can build off of. And with the intricacy of some mandalas, completing one can take some effort. Be proud of yourself!
Ritual Can Be Comforting
Mandalas are beautiful, but they have a deep meaning to many different cultures, dating back thousands of years. Most often attributed to Hinduism and Buddhism, they’ve also been used by Native Americans and Christians for centuries. While each culture uses mandalas a little differently, they’re generally symbols of:
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- Creation and the universe
- Interconnectivity between people
- The order of nature
- Life lessons and inner journeys
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You don’t have to be any particular religion to benefit from mandalas, but tying your mandala creation with a higher purpose or intention might help elevate the benefits. Try setting an intention before starting your mandala or focusing on a phrase like “may I have peace” while filling it in.
Learn to Let Go
We can learn a lot from Tibetan sand mandala ceremonies, in which monks spend days painstakingly making intricate mandalas out of colored sand. Once the sand mandala is complete, they ritualistically destroy it to symbolize impermanence. While no one expects you to go to such great lengths (unless you want to), you can bring the same sense of non-attachment to the mandalas you create. Sometimes, doing something for the sake of doing it, without worrying about the outcome, can be liberating. Practicing mandala art this way can, over time, transfer to your everyday life, reminding you how to let things go when need be. This can be a priceless skill when it comes to handling stressful situations.
Improve Mental Functioning
Activities like drawing and coloring mandalas strengthen the connection between the left and right brain, resulting in:
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- Greater problem-solving skills
- Better coordination
- Increased learning ability
- Improved concentration
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Focusing on the mandala also generally trains your brain to be more focused, especially crucial with the shorter attention spans in the modern day.
Art Quiets Inner Chatter
Losing yourself in art is sometimes known as reaching a trance-like state known as flow. Creating designs like mandalas is one way of achieving this state, which has many benefits, namely, reducing activity in the brain’s parts that deal with self-criticism. This break can provide a fantastic amount of relief if you’re dealing with a lot of stress.
Taking Time Out From Stress
While finding lots of scientific reasons why coloring mandalas reduces stress is all well and good, there’s also a straightforward, non-scientific reason: The time you spend creating mandala art is time spent away from the thing that is making you stressed in the first place. It’s easy to feel like you need a justification for doing it; there’s nothing wrong with coloring a mandala only because it gives you a break. Sometimes all you need is a few minutes or an hour away, and you can come back to the problem with fresh eyes.
Self-Expression Boosts Mood
Art therapy is successful, in part, due to its ability to facilitate self-expression. Being able to express yourself through art creatively has been shown to:
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- Help process difficult emotions
- Express previously unconscious thoughts
- Reduce Stress
- Increase feelings of well-being
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Mandalas are commonly used in art therapy and can be just as useful when used on your own. In addition to soothing repetition and symmetry, they also provide a nice balance between structure (coloring in the lines) and freedom (choosing your colors). This can help keep you from feeling either overwhelmed or too confined.
Coloring a Mandala Versus Drawing One
You might be wondering at this point whether drawing your mandala or coloring in a pre-made one is going to be better for stress relief. Well, the answer to that is, it depends on:
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- Your personal preferences
- The amount of time you have to devote to the mandala
- Your artistic skills
- The amount of stress you’re under
- Whether you want something to focus intensely on or an activity to zone out to
Let’s look a little deeper into the two choices.
Drawing a Mandala from Scratch
Drawing a mandala from scratch can be intimidating but also very rewarding. If you enjoy artistic challenges, drawing your mandala might be fun. Drawing your own also takes more time and concentration, so it might be the right choice if you want to involve yourself in the process for a while.
Coloring in a Pre-Made Mandala
If you’re not confident in (or are overly critical of) your artistic skills, coloring in a pre-drawn mandala might provide the structure you need to relax into the process entirely. Pre-drawn mandalas are also useful for those who don’t have a ton of time or mental energy to spend on mandala art.
Check out some of the coloring books we recommend for adults here!
Final Thoughts
As you can see, the proven benefits of mandalas are impressive. Try them out and see if they work for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you draw a mandala?
To draw a mandala, draw several concentric circles. Then draw straight lines to break the circles into sections, as though you are cutting a pie. Fill in the sections with repeating designs, working from the inside out.
What are the best art mediums for mandala art?
Because mandalas are so intricate, the best mediums for drawing them are ones that provide a lot of control. Tools like colored pencils, gel pens, markers, and watercolor brush pens have fine tips, which are ideal for mandala art.
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