Mandalas: what they mean and why they relieve stress

It is not at all strange to hear the word mandala these days, because surely some of your friends spend hours painting mandalas and there is no bookstore that now does not have a large collection of coloring books mandalas.

But the meaning of mandalas is much more mystical and complex than just a drawing to color in, and they are also very beneficial to relieve stress. Mandala means 'sacred circle' and like everything we learn from Eastern philosophies, it has to do with life, with the flow of energy, with meditation and the power of color. Find out how they can benefit you!

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What are mandalas?

At first glance we would say that mandalas are some beautiful drawings made up of different figures, mostly geometric and that they are full of colors, but this is a description at a glance of their appearance more than of everything that the mandalas actually are and represent.

The word mandala comes from Sanskrit (sacred language for Eastern philosophies such as Hinduism and Buddhism) and means ‘sacred circle’, although some claim that it also means ‘circle, whole'.

In mandalas, the cosmos and eternity are symbolized as the absolute, the whole, the union, the integration with the spiritual and even, the healing.

In terms of its shapes, a mandala is primarily a circle, as this is the perfect geometry that represents eternity. Added to this circle we find other artistic and geometric representations that arise around the same center, expanding towards the 4 cardinal points and with a great variety of colors that cover the entire mandala.

Each part of him, both his figures and his forms, are representations of spiritual and psychological aspects of our being. Mandalas are a way to meditate, to free the mind and be present in the here and now, so they are an excellent tool to relieve stress.

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Origin of mandalas

The origin of the mandalas occurred in India, through the Hindu and Buddhist philosophies that were found there, and were spreading to other parts of East Asia as a fundamental part of the culture and philosophies that were there follow. However, mandalas have also existed in other ancient cultures such as the Aztec, Celtic, Mayan or Egyptian among others. Nevertheless, the mandalas that have become the most popular are those of Buddhism and Hinduism.

In this sense, Buddhists use mandalas as a form of meditation. The process of creating the mandala is actually what is important, more than the final result, because when we paint a mandala we are traveling a path in which we are shaping our experiences. The mandala then becomes a center that purifies and balances us energetically, by doing a connection between the divine and our being.

For example, Buddhist monks in Tibet create beautiful mandalas with colored sands and skillful designs. When they finish them, they undo them and start new ones, since what is important is the path of creation and not the attachment to what has already been created.

Definitely, For Buddhists, mandalas are a point of union and spiritual representation between the macrocosm that is the universe, the world and nature, with the microcosm that we are, that is, the person, the individual, the being.

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What is the meaning of the figures in the mandalas

Each element or figure found in the mandala design has a meaning or represents some aspect. Although there are a large number of figures depending on where the mandala comes from, these are the most common:

• Circle: It is the main figure and represents the totality, the absolute and the true "I". They establish remoteness but at the same time security.
• Triangle: The triangle in the mandalas represents transformation, vitality and is also related to the water element.
• Square: Provides balance and stability
• Pentagon: The pentagon represents the symbols of the elements water, earth and fire, in addition to the shape of the human body.
• Hexagon: It symbolizes the union and the balance between opposites.
• Spiral: Symbolizes healing energy.
• Star: Represents spirituality and freedom.
• Labyrinth: The labyrinths in the mandalas symbolize self-reflection, confusion and the search for our center.
• Butterfly: The butterfly represents transformation and it is also related to death and the self-renewal of the soul.

What is the meaning of the colors of the mandalas

As well as the figures that we find in the mandala, the colors we choose to color it also have their own meaning.

1. Red

Red stimulates the first chakra and represents love, passion, strength, conquest, sensuality, anger and hatred. Stimulates the vital force of our entire body and builds confidence in ourselves.

2. Orange

Orange is the color of the second chakra and when we use it in mandalas symbolize energy, self-worth, ambition and optimism. It fills us with positive energy to have the confidence to achieve our goals, face challenges, and learn from our successes and failures.

3. Yellow

The color of the third chakra symbolizes light, joy, fantasy, longing and wisdom, but also envy and superficiality. Yellow frees us from all our internal fears and helps us to handle everything that affects us emotionally in a balanced way.

4. Green

The color green means the fourth chakra in mandalas and therefore balance, perseverance, hope, well-being, will and also the desire for power and ambition. It helps us to express our feelings freely and to find emotional balance.

5. Blue

The meaning of the color blue in mandalas has to do with the fifth chakra and represents peace, calm and serenity, but also boredom and emptiness. It helps us to externalize our feelings, working the resistance to communicate and the frustration.

6. Indigo

Indigo represents the sixth chakra in mandalas and is the color of intuition., of communicating with our interior and letting the messages and energy that reach us flow.

7. purple

The most mystical color in mandalas is violet and it represents the seventh chakra. It symbolizes magic, transformation, spirituality and inspiration, but also melancholy, grief and renunciation. It helps us to expand our creative power in any area so that we express our own vision of reality and stimulates contact with our spiritual world.

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