Achtsamkeit & Balance

A mandala can be many things: An image. An anchor. A pause. A mirror. It doesn't matter what you do with it – it's how you approach it that counts. Just a few minutes of conscious observation can send a small signal to your autonomic nervous system: You can let go. In my last post, ‘Understanding the autonomic nervous system – and regulating it with gentle impulses’, I described why balance ...

The calendar is full. Thoughts are loud. And even breaks sometimes feel overwhelming. Amidst all the desire to function, something else often grows within us: the longing for peace. For inner clarity. For a moment that demands nothing—but simply allows us to be. If you wonder why relaxation is sometimes so difficult, the answer often lies deeper than it seems ...

Mandalas have a profound effect on the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is responsible for the regulation of many unconscious bodily functions such as heartbeat, breathing and digestion. The ANS consists of two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system (activating, ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction) and the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxing, ‘rest-and-digest’ reaction).