© Rohini GuptaAnger mandala
There is one - it's called mandalas. The name originates from the Sanskrit, meaning circle. The circle is your magic space in which there are no rules, in which you alone exist, in which your feelings swirl out in lines and colours. It's a form of art therapy.
Benefits of drawing mandalas
Once you finish drawing an angry mandala , you automatically feel inclined to draw a happy one, as you have left the anger behind. You actually feel happy and relaxed after that. Try it out.
"You get lost with the colours and the movement of your hands and thus you express yourself clearly without even realising it," says Manju Mohinani, a homemaker.
"The best part is that when you do mandalas you are not thinking, you get so lost in the drawing. You don't feel that you are working on yourself, its so easy and so much fun," she adds.
Manju has been drawing mandalas for years, especially the anger ones. When she has dealt with her anger, she knows what exactly to do. Take out paper and crayons and let go. Soon the anger is gone and she is at peace again.
What is needed?
Drawing a mandala is very simple. All you need is paper and a box of crayons or coloured pencils, the kind kids use in school is fine. Mandalas are not an art, so you do not need to worry about how they look or whether you are doing them right or wrong. You don't have to do anything, but feel them.
For example, to etch an anger mandala , just sit and feel your anger. When you feel, it clearly takes up the colour that fits the best. Then draw a circle on the paper and let the feelings emerge on their own. Let them get expressed inside the circle, using whatever lines or colours that come. Don't censor yourself and don't think, just let go.
"It was something that I did so easily, having no idea that it would reveal so much about me. What it taught me was that I had to break boundaries and get rid of the limits I had put on myself," says Kashmira Shaw, a psychologist. "I felt so happy doing the mandalas ," she adds.
Most of us in modern life have no way to deal with our turbulent emotions. Mandalas give you a safe place to express yourself where you can play like a child again. The lines and colours you draw on paper can reveal amazing things about you. Simple curves and splotches of colour can show whether you normally express or suppress your anger, whether you give up on an obstacle or keep going, whether you are full of passion or depressed and apathetic.
While there are plenty of other therapies, none are quite as much fun as mandalas . The very act of scribbling with a crayon on paper takes us back to those carefree childhood days. It's a fun therapy, and a very satisfying one. You do not have to understand your drawings. The act of drawing itself is enough.
So, the next time you find yourself raging, instead of simmering for weeks, grab a box of colours, open up a sheet of paper and let go. You will not only deal with your anger, but have a wonderful time doing it as well. And the best part, you will savour every moment.
The colours that are typical of anger mandalas are drawn in red, brown or black. The shapes are also typical. The black crosses and overlapping shapes show a lot of anger. When forms are outside the circle then the anger spills over.
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