Art is Good For Us!

Some even say that it may be as important to our overall health as balanced nutrition, regular exercise, meditation, or spiritual growth.

When expressing oneself in creative ways such as through drawings, paintings, collage, photography, writings, and other artful endeavors – we access intuitive powers within, to heal and naturally nurture our soul.

And We can uncover this natural medicine within us by playing with our creative resources. It’s health benefits are actually rather easy to come by. Certainly (for me anyway) it is easier and much more fun, than running to the doctor or pharmacy.

I have fine-tuned this awesome health benefit in my own life. Now I use creativity for pain relief through art therapies. And I use it for basic health maintenance along with preventive healthcare as well.

I have found that the more you experience art therapeutically, the less resistance your body has to it, resulting in more success in using it for health improvements. In other words – the more you use it for improved health, the better it works!

Healing Mandalas

A healing mandala is not a drawing that has magical powers when you look at it. It’s a specific type of creative art piece (a mandala in this case), that is created with an intention. Many times while contemplating on a specific area of your life.

The healing occurs through the process of creating; primarily when your focus makes a shift and your mind/body unconsciously slips into an altered state.

Get Into the Zone

As you become more involved in the creative process you enter into a “mind flow.” Your body and mind experience a sense of relaxation and calmness. It’s similar to the effect you may get from taking a muscle relaxer, except without any of the negative side affects. Some people refer to this slightly altered state of mind as “being in the zone” or feeling “zenned out.”

It’s simply a state of active meditation and I’ll expand on that in future blog postings.

Time for an Inspire Inspire Journal Prompt

Today I encourage you to open your journal and create a healing mandala. It’s easy to do using the tools and information shared in this month’s mandala series. I invite you to use this as an opportunity to experience some healing energy for yourself.

• Get your supplies ready.
• Find a quiet place for reflection and peaceful creativity.
• Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen to the rhythm of your body for about a minute.
• Take a moment or two and reflect on anything that has weighed heavily on your mind or body recently.
• Open your eyes, and begin to create your mandala.
• Let lines, shapes, and colors come naturally.
• Stay in the moment and without judgement on artistic results, just let your mandala grow naturally.
• See where the creative process goes and enjoy the journey.

When you are finished with your mandala I suspect you will find that you feel more relaxed and comfortable with the challenge you reflected on earlier.  Maybe you will have recognized some pain relief. Maybe you will have a new solution to a problem, or simply come to accept things as they are. Maybe you will feel a sense of quietness within yourself.

I do believe if you take the time to accomplish this little creative exercise – with an open heart and an open mind – you will experience some level of healing.

A Free Mandala Template

And here my friends is the 3rd mandala-starter template I promised you this month also. Click the picture to download the PDF document. Enjoy watching the video. Have fun creating.

To your good health and happiness ~Cindy