RED MANDALA Breathe regularly and deeply, relax and gaze at the picture as you meditate.   When we meditate, we try to quiet the"monkey mind."  That is our busy, everyday mode of jumping from one thought to another.  One way to bypass this monkey mind is to concentrate on being in the very present NOW moment.  As you sit quietly, become aware of everything happening around you.  Start with the sights.  There are so many things right around you that you never really look at.  Study them closely.  Smell the smells in the air right now.  Be completely and happily in the present moment.  Hear the sounds.  Some of them have been there all along, and you never hear them.  Just stay completely and most relaxed in the present moment, and you will feel the profound peace of your Creator.  Read the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. (back to color meditation)