Ray of Peace: Blog #2: Mindful Coloring and 4 minute meditation
Welcome to “Ray of Peace”
an online community of inspiration throughout your week.
March 16, 2020
Thank you for coming back for a 2nd helping of Ray of Peace. Today you’re getting a two-for-one:
A short 4 minute meditation
Tips on mindful coloring, and a free Heart Chakra Yantra coloring page
Hexagram of Being Meditation.
The heart chakra is the center of our energetic body. Inside it is a hexagram (a six-point star. See my coloring page above) representing the connection between humankind and Spirit. Enjoy this 4-minute “Hexagram of Being” meditation
Checking-in before coloring-in.
Mindful coloring can be a wonderful way to spend a little time. Check out the tips below on a few ways to practice mindfulness while coloring, and then click on the link below to download your free Heart Chakra Yantra coloring page.
Before starting, let’s take some time to notice mindfully what we’re bringing to the page. Coloring-in is great for taking our minds off our worries, and acts as a great mindful interrupter of the habitual stories and negative thoughts that may be stressing us out. But if we use coloring-in just to block out these thoughts then we’re missing out on the potential to mindfully and kindly make friends with them, turning our coloring into a space for self-compassion.
Before we pick up a pencil, it’s good to sit quietly, noticing how we’re feeling for a few moments:
Notice the body—is it warm or cool, relaxed or tense?
How are we feeling—are we stressed after a pressured day at work, or nice and relaxed after the weekend?
What state is our mind in—agitated and on over-drive, or sluggish and sleepy?
As we check-in we can also pay attention to our breath, following it all the way in, noticing the sense of space and expansion it makes in the body; and then following a breath all the way out, noticing the sense of letting-go this brings. Taking time to check-in and just breathe with whatever is present before we start coloring sends the message to ourselves that we’re listening, that we care and opens a space for self-compassion.
Enjoy this FREE coloring sheet of the heart-chakra Yantra. A yantra is a focal point used in some forms of meditation. You could simply enjoy this as a mindful coloring activity, or you could post it up in a sacred place in your home, and use it as a focal point for your meditation practice.