Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Mandalas in the sand

One morning as I strolled along the beach during my yoga retreat in Tulum, Mexico, I picked up a little stick and started drawing mandalas in the sand.


Most of them were swiftly washed away, and I suppose that's the whole point. Tibetan monks spend hours creating beautiful mandalas with colored sand, only to sweep them up when they are complete, symbolizing the impermanence of everything in this world.

I didn't mind one bit. I'd use my beach stick to draw a mandala, then I'd walk a little further and draw another.

And there was another kind of sand mandala on my yoga retreat that took me completely by surprise and thrilled me to no end! They were designs drawn in the sand by the landscaper at the resort where we stayed. Can you even imagine my face when I walked out of my cabana on my first morning there and saw this on the ground?

Haha. It tickles me all over again because I literally gasped with glee then first time I saw them. Every morning brought a fresh start - a whole new set of mandalas raked into the sand. I carefully avoided walking across them, taking great care to watch my step and taking my time as I passed each one to appreciate its simple beauty.

Apparently, other resort guests weren't all that careful because it didn't take long for them to morph right back into regular beach sand with footprints. By noon each day the designs were no more.

I loved heading out for my morning coffee stroll and appreciating the new designs for that day. Such a sweet and simple practice for the resort to maintain, and the absolute perfect touch for this guest!

One of the ladies in my group had an opportunity to meet the landscape artist who draws these designs. He's a small man of Mayan descent, and the grounds people affectionately call him Uncle Rick. This morning practice is his daily meditation and part of who he is. What a beautiful gift to share - it really called to my Taurus/Earth soul!
 


Oops with the finger in the shot above. :o)

As I create these blog posts and share my photos and stories about my time on this yoga retreat, I'm reminded of how absolutely perfect this trip was for me. So many sweet things that called to my soul, so many things for me to love and appreciate. It's like that week was designed just for me! 

What an amazing and beautiful gift this trip was!





3 comments:

Patio Postcards said...

What a lovely treat Uncle Rick created on a daily basis. I like that he had no expectation of admiration or permanency of his designs, but created them anyway. I have seen on the west coast several labyrinths drawn in the sand, which were wonderful to walk. Your own mandala as the last photo is definitely your signature.

Karen said...

What a wonderful gift Uncle Rick gives the guests each and every day!

Sian said...

I like the thought of a connection between two people with completely different lives, but each taking pleasure from the same simple, soothing activity

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