MENTAL HEALTH WEEK-Mandala Art Activity

The department of psychology and counseling and career development center, IIS (deemed to be University) Jaipur, organized and celebrated Mental Health Week form 18^th October – 22^nd October 2021, different activities were held, one of those activities was mandala art (mandala coloring).

Mandala art is beneficial in multiple ways, it helps to focus attention, and thus it becomes an excellent exercise to calm the individual and colouring the geometric mandala designs helps an individual reduce stress, achieve a state of calm, helps in grounding the individual to here and now, and above all helps an individual connect to the inner-self. Cognitive and behavioural psychologists see mandala as a tool to improve higher functioning such as memory, attention, and motor coordination. It is also said that mandala in a way promote harmony, as through the geometric shapes, the energy flows which brings out positivity and calmness. Mandalas provide many benefits for our emotional and psychological well-being. These artistic representations are a source of relaxation, liberation and have deep creative power and as Celina Emborg says 'Each mandala is unique and unrepeatable … It is the vibrational expression of this moment, of this now'.

The activity was conducted at the Stage area of the campus for everyone on campus, the participation was voluntary. The participants were first registered for the activity and were told about the benefits of the mandala art (colouring), after that they were made to sit comfortably and were provided with the material required i.e. colours and a printed geometrical design and were encouraged to be as creative as they want to be. The participants had a positive feedback towards the activity and also towards the volunteers that were assessing them, they were very grateful that the got to try mandala art and said that they would incorporate this in their daily activity; some of them visited the stall multiple times throughout the week. There were total of 76 participants. It was truly an interesting activity where in the participants gained the basic knowledge of mandala art (colouring) and the response from the participants was overwhelming and positive.

Total Beneficiaries: 76