Mandalas may boost benefits of meditation

Imagery is a form of meditation, and meditation is a great tool for healing, restoring and enlightening our bodies.

When I received the book "The Art of Mandala Meditation," by Michal Beaucaire (F+W media), it was the striking images that begged for my attention.

The various hand-drawn, brightly illustrated mandalas, by artist Paul Heussenstamm, were comforting, energizing and relaxing without me having to do much more than scan the pages.

Mandalas, meaning "circles" in Sanskrit, are sacred symbols that are used for meditation, prayer, healing and art therapy for both adults and children.

Mandalas have been shown in clinical studies to boost the immune system, reduce stress and pain, lower blood pressure, promote sleep and ease depression.

After interviewing Beaucaire via email, I realized just how much more beneficial meditation can be when guided imagery, such as these mandalas, is incorporated.

When we are "in harmony" we can take our mind and bodies to a whole new enlightened state capable of making ourselves feel better, stronger and more connected to ourselves, each other and our surroundings, he adds.

In other words, it's an ideal state of mind to change situations involving our body.

[...] in curing diabetes we have to teach our body to re-activate the pancreas (which is responsible for releasing the right amount of insulin to the body).

Once the artist Paul Heussenstamm agreed to share his artwork in my book, I chose from his website (which presents more than 2,000 different mandalas) the right mandala with the right colors and shapes for each meditation.

[...] all inner strength meditations are in yellow or have yellow in them, like the weight loss meditation, or passing an exam, confidence and self-esteem meditation and so on.

[...] all ways are correct — even if the practitioner chooses to...