Make A Leaf Mandala

Gather some of natures finest and lose yourself in a simple mandala making creative mindfulness exercise.

Many moons ago, I would use my baby daughters naptime as a creative time-out for myself. I would gather and collect flowers and leaves from our walks or from my garden to enjoy some time organising them into pleasing shapes and patterns.

These images were some of my first was Instagram posts, too, before I got caught up in likes, followers, metrics and algorithms and before my burn-out.

But I’m pleased to say I’ve returned to this relaxing and satisfying activity lately, back to the old days when I just played, creatively, for pleasure.

This creative mindfulness mandala making exercise is a variation of ‘Organise Objects Neatly’, which uses random objects from around your house or office as a playful activity to do in a screen-break. For this creative mindfulness activity, I suggest you take a little longer.

Privet Leaf mandala on canvas 2021 by Georgie St Clair

Instructions

First, enjoy the process of going out for a walk and foraging your materials in a local park, your garden, the beach, somewhere abundant in nature. Immerse yourself here first.
Choose your materials: leaves, sticks, stones, twigs, pebbles, seeds, nuts, pine cones and flowers. NB preferably take flowers that have already fallen from the plant; it’s best not to pick wildflowers!
When designing the mandala, think about symmetry. I recommend you think of it as a compass. Place your foraged materials in the North, South, East and West positions first. You can always change it later, but this early structure will give you a basic form to work around.
You can make your mandala on location, in the park, on the beach, on the grass in your garden, leaving it behind for someone else to enjoy. Or take your foraged materials home with you. The main thing here is you feel relaxed and comfortable.
Take uninterrupted time for this exercise. Notice your breathing. Notice how you respond to the texture of the leaves or your other foraged materials. Notice their shapes, colours and textures. If you find your mind wandering, like any mindfulness exercise, bring your attention back to the materials in your hands as your anchor point.
This last step is the most important. Take a photo of the mandala first, if you want to record your creation. Then gently sweep the materials away and put them in the composter or back in the place you found them so they can degrade and feed the earth once more. Alternatively, leave your mandala out for the elements to degrade naturally. The point of this creative mindfulness exercise is the process, not the outcome.Making a mandala is a slow, deliberate, mindful exercise that’s both satisfying and restorative. It’s a reminder of the impermanence of life. Whatever is happening, change is inevitable. Practising a mindful activity like this reminds us that nothing lasts forever and to appreciate every moment. If life is difficult for you right now, think about what you can learn and take away from the difficult moments. They, too, will pass.