Therapy now has become as necessary as breathing as the modern world is taken over more and more by loneliness behind the masks of active social media profiles. Life goes around in a circle just like fashion that is recycled, methods that societies build to manage the human mind and existence seem to be coming back in fashion. 

You must have seen and heard hundreds of speakers harping about the importance of habits. Well, starting from the caveman years nature itself had rituals and repetitions that forced us to follow healthy habits. But as we progress as a humanity we have forgotten the basics of following the cues from nature, mostly because our indulgence with nature has drastically diminished. Gardening is in greenhouses and window sills. 

Whatever the reason, it is time to acknowledge that we need to intervene as a society and as individuals to make ourselves feel more alive and really gain the ability back to experience life fully. One such ancient wisdom is called mindfulness.

While mindfulness can be experienced in many forms, what I introduce here is this ancient Indian Sand Art called Rangoli as a Therapy. 

Rangoli is a Distress Tolerance sensory activity. Mindful Sand Art meditation helps the clients feel happier and calmer. Putting them in a flow.Its Self soothing. A technique that can be used when they experience distress.

According to DBT , Dialectical Behaviour Therapy there are 6 core mindfulness skills to master.

• Observe 
• Describe
• Participate
• Non Judgemental stance
• One Mindfulness(Focus)
• Effectiveness

So, as part of Mindfulness with Rangoli we take the time to observe the flow of sand, feel the texture, describe the colors and the facts of what the clients notice and not how they feel. There are options of different kinds of Rangoli practices to choose from so that participation becomes easier. Given that Sand has its own mind anyway, learning to experience a non judgemental stance becomes easier. The need of the Mindful sand art is focus so as to make sure sand falls in the right manner. Lastly the Effectiveness factor can be easily incorporated as we can choose one form over another. If one form of rangoli is not being effective and makes you feel anxious, you can choose a different form of an easier version.

We will look into more on how we can design a self care mindfulness plan for yourself or your loved one in the next issue of the blog. Until then stay close to nature. Experience life fully.