July 19-21 Rural homesteads are located in Švenčioni district "A festival of psychology, spiritual practices, wellness and creative activities will be held for the ninth time in Saulėtas krantas" territory (40 km from Vilnius) "Mandala".
"With this event, I want to encourage people to take care of themselves, nurture creativity, learn ways to be healthier and happier," says Sigita Dabulskytė, the organizer of "Mandala", a Lithuanian living in Istanbul, Turkey, psychologist, dance therapist and English teacher.
She got the idea to organize such an event ten years ago after visiting the festival of spiritual practices "Gara vasara" in Latvia. "I liked everything there - the program, the people I met, and the general atmosphere of the event, so I had a burning desire to organize a similar event in Lithuania," she said. True, she expanded the range of topics - she also included lectures from psychology, wellness, and classes that develop artistic abilities.
The festival program is divided into five spaces: Water (psychological), Air (spiritual), Earth (body), Fire (creative) and the Recreation space, which will be operating for the first time this year.
"Visitors can even choose from several activities taking place at the same time, everyone will surely find something interesting for them", said the girl. The different spaces reflect the name of the festival: a mandala is a drawing, a unified whole, composed of different but equally important elements.
The festival will start on Friday evening and continue until Sunday evening. The agenda is busy - lectures and classes will be held from 7 in the morning - a total of half a dozen of them are planned, and in the evening the program will be extended by a musical part. Lecturers from Lithuania and abroad are invited to the event.
Sigita singled out psychologist Ieva Balvočiūtė's lecture "Resolving conflicts in the family" among the more interesting activities in the Water Space this year, which will discuss how to resolve conflicts arising both between spouses and between parents and children. Psychologist Nerijus Ogintas will lead the lecture "Love of work", which will help you to look at your professional activity in a different way and to love it or ... change it. There will also be a special session for men - personal development lecturer Ignas Genys will invite them to the self-development workshop "True Man".
Sound therapy will take place in the airspace concert, which will be led by Pete Kabir Bengry, a multi-instrumentalist from the United Kingdom with an interest in shamanism. Vytenis Sinkevičius, a specialist in Chinese culture and meditation teacher, will teach how to correctly formulate wishes to make it easier to fulfill them - his session will be called "Dream Map Drawing". And the teacher of spiritual practices, Jurgita Mazurkevičiūtė, will lead the meditative movement class "I am" that helps to deeply relax.
In the space of the earth, doctor Goda Denapienė's lecture "Ayurvedic wisdom through the prism of science" will tell about the application of Ayurveda in modern life, with special emphasis on health and treatment. Massage specialist Rūta Katiliūtė will lead the session "Therapeutic face massage", where she will teach how to properly perform a face massage for yourself or another person using essential oils. An interesting session for women - "Taoist sexual practices", which will be led by a certified instructor of Taoist practitioners Edita Esenku - it will be possible to learn how to reveal femininity and strengthen relationships in a couple.
In the fire space, festival visitors will be able to learn how to create linen carvings, apply feng shui knowledge to home interior design, paint mandalas in an unusual way - on glue or express themselves in dance.
According to Sigita, after visiting the festival, people will be able to try various practices, choose the ones they like and continue them independently after the event. "There is a lack of knowledge on how to effectively solve problems and feel better. This is also proven by the fact that Lithuania leads the world in terms of the number of suicides", the organizer thinks.
As every year, the Children's Zone will be open at the festival - while the parents go to classes, the children will be occupied with the program designed for them, and the Personal Services Village, where you can order a personal horoscope, aura diagnostics, various bioenergetic tests, massages, reflexology service or aromatherapy consultation.
Singers Rugilė Daujotaitė, Eglė Sirvidytė, group "Baltasis kiras", gong master Raimondas Binkauskas with the program "Amžinasis dabar" will participate in the concert program.
This event - sober. In addition to alcohol and drug use, smoking is also prohibited. For non-smokers, a special smoking area will be set up further away from the festival area so that the smoke does not disturb the festival visitors.
The whole family is invited to the event. You can bring non-aggressive pets, but they should not interfere with the activities.
You can stay in tents or rent rooms in cabins (they should be reserved in advance). You can cook food on a bonfire or even use the services of several vegetarian and vegan cafes located at the festival. The festival site is located by Lake Pailgis and is surrounded by extremely beautiful nature. Those who want to spend time with themselves will be able to go for a walk, pick berries, pick mushrooms, and pick herbs.
"This is a great opportunity to learn new things, get inspiration for life changes, and find like-minded people," asserted the initiator of Mandalas. According to her, the festival participants value the event both for the acquired knowledge and for the opportunity to spend time in nature and relax.
Over the course of nine years, the festival has grown, new things have appeared, and those who come for the first time usually become its regular visitors.
"Organizing this event takes a lot of energy, but I also receive a lot of thanks and support - it inspires me to take up work again and again", said S. Dabulskytė.
Tickets to the event start at 45 euros. Admission is free for children under 12 years old.
More information about the event: Mandala-festival.lt
