Somatic Mandala Work: A Creative Approach to Grief and Loss
Grief isn’t just an emotion—it lives in the body. It’s in the tightness of the chest, the lump in the throat, the weight in the belly. One of the hardest parts of grieving is the deep, instinctual “no”—a visceral rejection of loss. This shouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. That “no” can hold disbelief, guilt, regret. It can feel like a contraction, a pulling inward, a bracing against what is.
This post is about working with that “no,” not forcing it into acceptance, but offering it a place to be seen, expressed, and honored. The practice of creating mandalas can be a gentle way to soften into grief—to let the body tell its story, shape by shape, color by color. Inspired by a client who lost her son, this approach is for those who are ready to explore the deeper layers of their grief, to engage with the tension of holding on and the possibility of loosening.
It’s not meant for early grief—those raw months (or even years) when the body is still in survival mode, when the only thing to do is to say no, to let the biology of grief take its course. Research on grief suggests that in the beginning, we don’t process so much as feel—shock, denial, the primal need to just keep going.
Somatic Layers of the “No”
Grief fractures us. The heart aches, the belly clenches, the shoulders carry the weight of what cannot be undone. The “no” is dense, painful—it grips, resists, refuses to let go. And yet, in time, there is space to begin witnessing it. Not to push it away, but to meet it with curiosity, to see how it moves, where it lives in the body, and what it might need.
Grief isn’t linear. One moment, it’s sharp and piercing. The next, it’s distant, a dull ache, a shadow in the background. It shifts, ebbs, crashes, recedes. Within the same hour, you might feel the weight of sorrow, then sudden lightness, then numbness.
A mandala—a sacred circle, a container for wholeness—can hold this complexity. Mapping our grief onto a mandala allows us to see it in a new way. Colors, shapes, sections—each piece can represent a facet of the loss, a layer of emotion, a piece of ourselves in this shifting landscape. The goal isn’t resolution. It’s connection.
And beyond connection, there is integration.
There comes a point when grief is ready to become part of our wholeness—woven into the full story of our lives, rather than keeping us stuck inside the rupture. The mandala offers a way to bring grief into the whole, to help us see that our lives are not only made of what is broken, but of everything that has been, everything that still is. By creating this visual and physical representation of grief, we invite a shift—from being lost in loss to holding it as one part of a larger, evolving narrative.
Not to move on. Not to let go. But to bring all the pieces together. To honor the love, the pain, and the life that continues.
Step 1: Create a Safe Space
Find a quiet, comfortable place. Gather your materials—paper, colored pencils, markers, or paints. Light a candle or bring a meaningful object to ground yourself. Take a few deep breaths and place a hand on your heart or belly, noticing what arises as you bring your attention to your grief.
Step 2: Begin with the Circle
Draw a large circle on your paper. This circle represents the container for your grief—its fullness, its boundaries, and its wholeness. Let it be a safe space where all of your feelings can exist.
Step 3: Tune Into the Felt Sense of Grief
Close your eyes and turn inward. Ask yourself:
Where do I feel the “no” in my body?
Are there layers to this sensation? Does one part feel heavier, tighter, or harder to touch than another?
What do these sensations feel like—pressure, tightness, heaviness, or something else?
You might notice grief as layers—sharp, raw feelings closer to the surface and deeper, quieter sensations beneath. These layers will guide your mandala.
Step 4: Map the Layers in Your Mandala
Divide your circle into sections or rings, allowing each part to represent a layer of your grief:
The Center: Place the core of your grief here. This could represent the “no” energy—draw it as a symbol, a color, or a shape that reflects what you feel.
The Inner Rings: Use these to explore the sensations closest to the surface. What feels most present today—anger, guilt, sadness, or longing?
The Outer Rings: Represent what surrounds or holds your grief—perhaps moments of gratitude, memories, or glimpses of acceptance.
Step 5: Add Symbols and Colors
Let your body guide you in choosing symbols, shapes, and colors to represent the sensations you feel. For example:
Tension might look like jagged lines or sharp edges.
Heaviness could appear as dark, dense colors.
Softening or release might be flowing lines or light shades.
Glimpses of peace could be open spaces or gentle patterns.
Step 6: Reflect and Align the Layers
As you work on your mandala, pause occasionally to check in with your body:
Gently move or stretch, focusing on the areas where you feel the “no” energy.
Notice if creating your mandala shifts the sensations in your body.
Breathe into the parts of your mandala that feel the heaviest or most constricted.
If it feels right, imagine your body aligning with the structure of your mandala—letting the layers come into balance, one by one.
The Stages of Grief Mandala
The stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—are not linear. They ebb and flow, appear and disappear, and return in unexpected ways. A mandala can be a beautiful way to visually map these stages in a way that reflects their fluid nature.
Divide Your Circle into Five Sections – Label each section with a stage of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. These sections do not have to be equal or rigid—some may be larger or more prominent than others, depending on what feels true for you.
Represent Each Stage with Symbols and Colors – Let your body and intuition guide you.
Allow for Overlap – Let the stages bleed into each other, showing their interconnected nature.
Grief as a Journey
Grief is not something to "fix" or "overcome." It’s a journey of integrating loss into the wholeness of your being. Mandala-making, paired with somatic awareness, offers a gentle and meaningful way to honor this process.
If you try this practice, remember to approach it with patience and kindness—your body knows the pace at which it can heal.
References
Jung, Carl Gustav. Mandala Symbolism. Bollingen Series, Princeton University Press, 1972.
Jung, Carl Gustav. Man and His Symbols. Dell Publishing, 1964.
Manera, Anne. Comforting Mandalas Grief Healing. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2017.
Fincher, Susanne F. Creating Mandalas for Insight, Healing, and Self-Expression. Shambhala Publications, 1991.
