Craft: Mindfulness Mandalas

In this short, relaxing course you will learn to create beautiful, complex mandala patterns. We will start by learning how to draw a series of basic patterns using simple motifs, building up a reference sheet of patterns which you can keep adding to. We will go on to develop these into the fabulous circular patterns of a mandala by the end of the first session. You can enjoy these as a piece of art in themselves, but in the second session, we will also learn how to adapt them to embellish all sorts of surfaces, such as a notebook cover, greetings cards and coasters, making beautiful gifts for family and friends.

There are many ways you can make a mandala, using different materials, which we’ll look at on the course, but for this introductory course, you’ll only need to use black or coloured pens or pencils. You will need some basic materials: paper, pencil, coloured pencils or pens, access to a printer to print a mandala template, or a set of compasses, ruler and protractor to draw one yourself. All stages of the sessions are carefully guided with clear instructions and demonstrations. However, there’s always room to explore your own ideas through your choices of pattern and colour.

A mandala is an arrangement of concentric circles containing layers of geometric patterns, said to symbolise the spiritual journey, starting from outside to the inner core. Mandalas are used in various spiritual traditions as an aid to meditation.