Are you a yoga practitioner or do meditation regularly? Do you often get too distracted by your own thoughts? If yes, then you should consider using mala beads.
Mala beads are derived from the Sanskrit “mala” means garland, strings of beads that are traditionally used for prayer and meditative practices in and around the Indian subcontinent. Anthropologically speaking beads have been used for more than thousands of years in various parts of the world. These beads are special because they are primarily been used as a spiritual tool for specific types of mental and spiritual exercises.
Apart from the meditative application of mala beads, mala is also often used as decorations and worn as jewelry around the neck as a necklace or on the wrist as bracelets. The yoga practitioners often keep their own mala beads depending on their special relationship with them. It could be the effect of the stones or simply the energy and vibrations they sense radiating from the beads.
Mala beads come in varying numbers 7,21,27, 54 and the most popular number 108 plus a guru bead.
The significance of 108
The number 108 has been revered in different religions, beliefs, and traditions throughout history, especially in the Vedic tradition. The yogis and philosophers of the ancient world believed that 108 was spiritually and existentially significant. There are 108 sacred places in India and also 108 sacred points in the human body, this made them believe that the 108 number is associated with the totality of existence.
The number 108 is an elegant formulation for what yogis believed to contain the whole of existence. For some more intricate accounts of 108 is that the number one stands for the unity of existence, zero represents the truth of emptiness and the number eight is referred to as the infinity of the universe. Many people believe this to be a highly subjective phenomenon.
Now, let's talk about the mala beads itself and their benefits that may arise from using them.
What are the benefits?
Mala beads enable your mind to become one-pointed, i.e. direct and focused, which as you might know is a highly valuable quality to have you are involved with spirituality.
As an experienced meditator would tell you, our psychological monkey mind has its own crazy life. Most people do not notice and many don’t even know this, mainly because they are also identified as that every mental process instead of the silent witness of it all.
This is where the mala beads come into the picture, they allow your mind to become focused by aligning your sensation and conscious attention with meaningful words, sounds, and breaths. Furthermore, mala beads are being used since the 9th century by the Yogic and Buddhist practitioners, as a kind of aid that helps the monks or disciple attain higher truths about themselves and reality.
The benefits are quite varied, here is the list of some of the most interesting benefits of using mala beads:
1.Mala beads help you become more focused by taming your mind and enhancing your self-awareness.
2.It also helps in your pranayamic practices by slowing down the breathing, which leads to the overall well-being.
3.They also have healing properties but it depends on the type of materials used to make the beads and your own relationship with it.
4.The beads are known to cleanse the 108 marma points in your body.
5.It helps replaces all the negative thought with positive ones through japa meditation.
6.Help you stick to your sense of purpose in life by teaching you to humble, disciplined and adherent.
What are they made of?
In today’s modern and advanced age, malas are made out of a variety of materials, ranging from the gold, silver and precious gemstones to the more traditional ones like plant seeds, animal bones, and wood. When you are looking for mala beads for yourself, it is important that you understand the type of material and its impact on you.
Here is the list of the most prominent ones that the yogis and yoga lovers of the world use:
1.Rudraksha Seeds.
2.Lotus Seeds.
3.Tusli Seeds.
4.Bodhi Seeds.
5.Pearls.
6.Crystals.
7.Lava stones.
Conclusion
Whether you wish to wear the mala beads a meaningful reminder of your highest intention and wish in life, as a spiritual aid in meditative practices or as a piece of jewelry, malas are quite beneficial both mentally and spiritually. If you want to achieve discipline and self-control, it is best that you give the mala beads a try.
