…along with Social Contact. Psychologists say that social contact is essential to our lives. Social interaction, even among strangers, helps keep people mentally fit. We believe sand is also essential to our well-being.
Think about it: we humans have been playing with sand since the beginning of time. In fact, our first experience with sand as babies was probably mind blowing. Sand is found everywhere on the planet, from the rainforests to the arctic circle. Being of the earth, it literally grounds us, and soothes us by touch. It’s relaxing to use, whether we’re digging our fingers into it, scooping it into a bucket, or watching it fall through an hourglass. It’s naturally therapeutic and calming.
We wanted to design a product that would help foster connections and bring our lives into balance. We wanted to use sand because it is so deeply satisfying and versatile.
More than ever, we need ways to de-stress and have fun and connect with each other. Sand can help us do that.
We see the world through a circular field of vision. When we gather together, it’s often in a circle. The circle shape gives us comfort and a feeling of wholeness. Some reasons why were described beautifully by Oglala Sioux holy man Black Elk.
"The power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round . . . The sky is round and I have heard the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars…birds make their nest in circles…The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same…Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were." – from Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt
The ancient Sanskrit word for circle is mandala. Mandalas are used in religious rituals and cultural celebrations all over the globe. Hindu rangoli, First Nation medicine wheels, the Aztec sun, Celtic knots, and rose windows are all examples of the sacred circle. Mandalas can be made of flowers, rice, stones, sand, and other natural materials, carved in stone or fused in glass.
The kit is made in the USA. The materials are eco-friendly and of the highest quality. The beautiful box is sturdy and reusable for keepsakes.
We’re family. To bring the sand mandala experience to the world, we are merging our creative and practical skills. Mom Jan, an imaginer and creator, along with son Drai, a designer and maker, have collaborated to design the kit and its contents. Virginia (married to Drai) is a yoga instructor and Reiki master who runs sea glass and yoga retreats, and whose focus on holistic wellness, peace, beauty and balance helps inform our overall aesthetic.
The idea for our Sand Mandala Kit started when we imagined using the sand techniques we’d developed in our studio to address the creative needs of adults. With a beautiful mandala as our inspiration, we researched how mandalas are used across the globe, and thought about how all the materials might come together. We drew mandalas, working through many iterations to capture the design exactly as we wanted it.
We used an Xacto blade to hand-cut our first mandala into a mat board so that we could test the concept. After some adjustments, we had our final design fabricated into a steel die. With the die in hand, we could do test runs, making improvements to each aspect of the kit as we went along. Then we made digital renderings so that we could find the right company to print and manufacture the box. And now we have a physical prototype of the kit, encased in the beautiful box you see pictured here.
We’re very excited to bring this kit to life and to introduce a peaceful, beautiful, and centering activity to a chaotic world.
Creating a new product, made in the USA from responsibly sourced materials, is a costly endeavor, and we needed help to make it happen. We ourselves funded the research, testing, initial materials, prototypes and marketing. But more funds were needed to produce the kit and make it available to individuals, families, and community groups who want to bring the sand mandala experience into their lives. We turned to Kickstarter and successfully raised the needed funds to make this a reality.
