How to hold mandala sessions

I have experimented with different way of holding mandala sessions over the past 18 months. The following routine has shown the best promise in terms of having mindful mandala drawing sessions and also connecting people together. One can chance some or all of these steps to customize the routine based on their needs.

Materials

  • Square papers (cardboard)

  • Small rulers

  • Micron sharpies

  • Compass just 2

  • Big rulers just 2

  • Colored pencils grouped into one

  • Pencil sharpner

Schedule

7 pm arrival, hang out and snacks

7:30 pm doors close with no late arrival

7:45 pm start to re-arrange for mandala drawing and collect cellphones

8 pm cacao is served in a ceremonial setting

8:15 meditation for 15 min

8:30 pm silent mandala drawing for 90 min

10 pm scans and share

10:30 finish and open hang out

General rules

  • Limit the number of people to 8-12 people for an intimate settings

  • Prepare people for a mindful setting with meditative mandala drawing so people don’t come with party intentions

  • Make sure you mention several times that late entries will not be allowed

  • For North America, I would suggest charging $10-20 for material, cacao, snacks. When people pay, they come with more intention for meditative practice and connection rather than partying

Preparation

  • Prepare cacao beforehand for number of guests so when it is time you just warm up the cacao

  • Prepare mandala papers with circles and 4 lines partitioning the paper into 8 pieces

  • Group colors into palette groups and hand each person a color group hidden in a case. When people sit, they don’t know what color groups they get and that’s the point as we don’t have a say in things in life most of the time, that is lack of free will

  • Prepare snacks for people. This should be light snack instead of dinner so people can draw not on a full stomach.