Mandalas

The use of mandalas became a favorite activity in the project for teachers and students. The word mandala means circle and center in Sanskrit and is symbolic of wholeness. Tibetan monks create complex mandalas as a form of walking meditation using colored sand. To learn more about mandalas and their use in educational settings, please see http://www.mandalaproject.org.

You can find many examples of mandalas on YouTube. Here are a few of our favorites:

Sand mandalas produced by Israeli artist Eitan Kedmy

The Life and Death of a Sand Mandala

Making a Mandala - We Learn Conference 2102

How to Make a Mandala Using Acrylic Paint

Mandalas in the Classroom
Many teachers kept paper mandala templates on hand for students to color with well-sharpened, good quality, colored pencils. Engaging with mandala designs produced a calming and centering effect, and because they were provided with a template, students didn’t worry about their drawing abilities.

This week in my beginning level ESOL class... we colored mandalas for about twenty minutes. In the background I had calm music playing, and I colored, too. As people were beginning to finish I went around to each and asked them to identify the colors they had used and how they were feeling (in English, of course). Everyone took great pleasure in the activity and asked to have a chance to continue it next week.

- Jeri Bayer, The Welcome Project, Somerville, MA

A couple of issues arose regarding mandalas that teachers may want to keep in mind. Some students express reluctance to use mandalas because they feel it is contradictory to their religious beliefs. Teachers can respond respectfully, while also clarifying that people can engage in mandala creations without adhering to a particular belief system. Teachers may want to expand their exploration of the "sacred circle" concept to include other cultures where circular designs are common, or by looking at the power of the circular image in nature. Many mandala patterns can be downloaded from the web.

For a low cost, high quality source for mandalas to color, you can purchase the Mystical Mandala Coloring Book by Alberta Hutchinson, published by Dover Publishing.

Mandalas have been a huge hit with the class. Many of the students have commented on how relaxing they are. The first day I made them available before and during the first half of the class. During the first part of the class when the mandalas were available, students were very engaged in class, actively listening to me and one another. During the second part of the class when the Mandalas were not being used, I found that the students were starting to go off topic and having difficulty taking turns speaking. I have one student in the class that has been diagnosed with ADHD. She has really found the mandalas very relaxing as well as helping her maintain focus during class time. Many of the students have taken them home with them and shared them with their families.

- Linda Snow, Vermont Adult Learning, Colchester, VT

3-D Mandalas
Project Hope in Roxbury, MA implemented a
3-D mandala project that took several weeks to complete. To read more about this project see Mandala of Hope.

At the We Learn conference in Providence, R.I., project director Lenore Balliro facilitated an all-day mandala project as part of the conference sacred space. Participants were invited to enter at certain points and contribute to the emerging design. See the Invitation to Mandala here. To watch the mandala emerge, check out the YouTube video.