The Mysterious Mala
Ah…the Mala necklace. In today’s world they are often seen as the latest wearable yoga fashion, but what do they really signify aside from a great accessory to your Lululemon leggings? The term “Mala” is Sanskrit for the word “garland” or “meditation garland”. The Mala has been around for thousands of years and can be traced back to 800 B.C. These necklaces have become popular with people interested in healthy/mindful living, meditation, spirituality and the following religions: Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.
Most Malas you see have 108 beads, there are many theories behind the significance of the number 108. The number 108 has long been considered a sacred number in the Hindu culture. Some say 1 stands for God, the universe or your own highest truth; 0 stands for emptiness and humility in spiritual practice; and 8 stands for infinity and timelessness. Whereas others say this number was crucial to the creation of the sacred texts that are central to yoga and eastern philosophy. The goddess Shiva Rea explains in Tending the Heart Fire, “There are 108 chapters of the Rig Veda, 108 Upanishads and 108 primary Tantras.” And these texts are written in Sanskrit, a language comprising 54 letters, each with a masculine (Shiva) and a feminine (Shakti) form, 54 x 2 = 108. I could go on for hours philosophizing this and opening Pandora’s Box for you on this however I personally believe that the number 108 and its significance in your practice is up to you and what resonates nearest to your heart.
MALA PRAYER: ARE YOU DOING IT RIGHT?
So often we put pressure on ourselves for the practice of meditation. We sit down in our peaceful spot with good intentions of having this “Aha” moment or some amazing self-realization that’s eye opening to us only to find that the moment you start to connect to your breathe and quite the mind you suddenly find the long lost “to-do list” that was escaping you prior to your morning coffee. And this is where we find ourselves going down the negative self-talk of “I can’t meditate”, “I’m failing at this” or “why is this so hard?” and we often abandon it and go on about that to-do list that popped into our head. First of all…meditation can be a challenge, yes, however it’s a positive one and there’s no wrong way to do it, it’s that beautiful?! So, skip the negative self-talk and judgement and rather than jump right into a 72 hour silent meditation retreat start with baby steps. How about a nice 2 minute candle meditation where you simply light a candle and focus on your breathing while you gaze at the flame? What’s that you say? The 2 minutes just flew by? Look at you go! You are your own Guru.
Traditionally a mala meditation is done with the following steps:
1. Starting with your dominant hand, tassel facing toward you.
2. Start with the bead to the right of the guru bead
3. Begin turning each bead individually in your fingers, making your way slowly to the next bead.
4. When turning the beads, try not to use the index finger as that is believed to represent the ego.
5. Try using your thumb to turn the beads. You can use your thumb nail to pull the bead towards you. Or you can use your thumb to rotate the bead by turning it moving to the next.
6. You will notice there is hand knotting between each bead, this is meant to help ease the practice of moving from bead to bead. Recite your mantra or prayer with an inhale and on the exhale switch to the next bead. Do this until you have reached the end and discover you are holding the guru bead.
LOOKING TO INCORPORATE A MALA INTO YOUR PRACTICE:
Join Hana Pepin from Enchanted Strands and myself on Friday, March 6th from 7PM to 10PM for a Mala making workshop. Hana will guide us through the magic of creating our own Mala with intention. You will leave with a new found understanding of this beautiful piece that you created specifically for yourself.
ALREADY HAVE A MALA? HERE’S A GOOD REFERENCE FOR YOU!