If you practice yoga and meditation, chances are you have come across Mala beads and jewellery and wondered what they are for and how to use them to enhance your practice & ease anxiety?

Mala beads, commonly known as a Japa Mala or simply a Mala, are a type of prayer & meditation beads. Prayer beads have been used for centuries by a range of religions, from Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism to Catholicism. Today, they are sometimes used as a mindfulness aid without any religious affiliation and especially in your yoga or meditation practice.

A tool to settle the mind, clear your thoughts and bring you quickly into the present moment. Malas are growing in popularity and can be a great complement to your meditation practice and to practice mantra meditation. Mantras are typically repeated hundreds or even thousands of times! The mala is used so that one can focus on the meaning or sound of the mantra rather than counting it’s repetitions. This allows deeper connection to the mantra or in sound for us to focus on the vibration and it's feeling in the body. 

We use our Malas frequently and find them to be a very special element to our practice and a wonderful way to set intentions for the day ahead or as part of a gratitude practice, setting a top of our mats for focus of our intention.

Japa Mala Meditation has been proven to help reduce stress levels, improve sleep, and lower blood pressure, help to slow respiration and encourage well-being. But it isn’t always easy. Many people find it a little difficult, especially in the beginning, so to keep their mind from wandering off… that’s where mala beads come in...

Traditionally Mala Necklaces include 108 beads in addition to a guru bead and often a tassel (we will look at why that is later). The guru bead is used as a place marker for the fingers to feel for the end or the beginning of the necklace for meditation or mantra chanting, it can be larger than the other beads or textured. Malas can be made from semi-precious stones and crystals, each holds different properties and meanings which can hold different energies for the user and you may feel drawn to specific stones for your practice, it is very individual.

A common way to use the mala is to track a “japa,” or mantra meditation. The repetitive recitation of a single sound, such as “Om,” or a few words, such as “I am peace, I am enough” or longer mantra, such as the Gayatri Mantra, can be calming and transformative. Whether you’re chanting out loud, whispering, or repeating a phrase silently, tracing the beads of the mala with your fingers can help you keep track.

Malas can be a significant part of your meditation practice. You can use mala beads in a variety of ways during meditation, but breath control and mantra repetition are two good starting points.

One of the easiest places to begin your meditation journey and to simply bring yourself into the present is by using and counting the breath. As you inhale and exhale, begin to slow the breath and holding your mala in one hand you can begin to move the mala through, moving one bead with each full breath:

• Hold your mala with one hand.

• Let it drape across your fingers so you can move it easily. Place two fingers around one of the beads next to the guru bead. Many people use their thumb and middle finger, as some religious traditions avoid using the index finger as this relates to the ego and this is about melting the ego/chatter in our minds.

• Complete one full breath (inhale and exhale).

• Move your fingers to the next bead, breathing in and out once per bead.

• Finish at the guru bead to complete 108 breaths.

• If you want to do another round, just move your fingers in the opposite direction until you reach the guru bead again. (See our video below)

Try practicing a japa mantra meditation, setting an intention and allowing the beads to be a grounding element as you follow them while reciting your words. A mantra is a phrase, word, or sound you can use to help focus your awareness during meditation and switch off the mind! “Om” is a common one, but there are countless others.

You can also create your own mantra that feels reassuring or calming. For example your mantra might be “I am calm,” “I am safe,” or “I am peace.” The mantra you repeat can also vary depending on your current situation, some practices of Mantra meditation give you a special word which has no meaning and is simply a tool to deepen your connection quickly and turn off the thoughts and control of the thinking mind. This is personal to you, like Transcendental Mediation or TM as it is sometimes called.

To use mala beads with a mantra, follow the same process as you would for controlling your breath. But instead of exhaling and inhaling at each bead, repeat your mantra. You can whisper it, say it in a loud, clear voice, or stick to a mental repetition — whatever feels best to you.

Find a comfortable seat (you may want to sit on a cushion or a block to raise your hips).

• Choose a mantra that speaks to you. Some examples to get you started: om, so hum, om shanti shanti shanti, om namoh guru dev namoh, I am enough, I love being me, I am in the right place at the right time.

• Hold the mala in one hand and let it dangle freely.

• As you move your fingers to the next bead, repeat your mantra out loud, as a whisper, or silently in your mind repeat until your mind is clear of chatter and thought, you can switch off.

• Continue until you feel the guru bead again. The Guru bead is sometimes considered sacred, so you may want to skip over the Guru and reverse the direction, we show how to do this in the video below.

Malas can be such a wonderful tool, especially for those new to meditation. A gift to a very stressed out friend or family member to get them started and a great introduction to the yogic state of mind for beginners. Can be a tool for quitting smoking and addiction therapy, dealing with stress or simply to connect to your breath and take a little time to be mindful in the switched on world we live in.

A beautiful gift for yourself to honour your practice, you may want to set your mala at the top of your yoga mat as an ode to your intentions as you practice yoga asana. You can also wear your mala necklace to remind you of your intentions and goals, ‘to feel less stress’ or ‘live peacefully’. Perhaps you set intentions with the lunar cycles and you would like to remind yourself of that intention. You may want to meditate with a mala necklace and wear a bracelet as a reminder of your meditation and intentions in the day, to ‘live with peace’ or ‘be kind to yourself’ there are many ways to use them and each one is as personal a story as the next. Enjoy your Japa Mala Practice and the best way to get started is just to begin. 

Originally written by Kati Kaia for Hip and Healthy Magazine - take a look here.