Hello! After a long long time. Getting back to art in the most peaceful, calming way. MANDALAS.

I have always known about mandalas but getting exposed to what they can do therapeutically with all my work last year has made me pick up a beautiful poster size book on Mandalas myself. Starting with this, I will be working on creating large mandalas on my own. Inspired to use a bit of mandala art to provide a new texture to my paintings as well.

Let me also add to this post, a little bit about what mandalas are and what they can do. The word mandala is derived from the Sanskrit word 'manda' meaning 'essence' or 'spirit', and 'la' meaning 'container'. Drawing and colouring mandalas can be used as a meditation aid, to bring one to a state of mindfulness as well as an enjoyable play of creativity and discovery. Coloring mandalas is also becoming a popular method of de-stressing. Studies have shown the effectiveness of mandalas in elevation of mood for people diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorders or even mania. The joy of colouring mandalas is that there is no right or wrong way to approach it. You can let your imagination go and mix your colours as you please. It is a great way to express yourself in the moment.

Personally, I have been through many ups and downs this past year and mandalas have helped me a lot. I hope that by sharing this, I am encouraging someone else to experience this beautiful catharsis as well.