Zen doodleing

I've been reading more on the healing powers of creating mandala's. The process of drawing and painting mandala's, as with all art forms, can have a therapeutic effect on ones body, or not as the case may be. While I was drawing the zen doodle ,I was noticing subtle changes taking place. At some points I felt a little nauseous and at others I felt calm and a sense of well being. Usually I am not so conscious of my body while I am creating as that awareness drops away as I move into the flow, however I decided to experiment with this particular picture and see what I observed. I must say I prefer to lose a sense of my physical being while painting, although it was interesting to check out the physical response to what I was creating. As has been written about by many people, art can heal on many levels and emotionally, mentally and spiritually, I have definitely felt the benefits.

The zen doodling was an intentional drawing in as much as I decided to try this style of creating a focus for the mandala. I think if I had been in a doodling space then it may have flowed more for me but I wasn't and it didn't. I was happy with the result although the process was not as enjoyable. Using visualisations, meditation or dancing before I start to create and then listening to music while painting seems to bring about a holistic experience that leaves me feeling joyous and spent,sated in some way that the zen doodling did not.