Everything You Need to Know About Mala Beads and Meditation

You feel stressed and feel as though you are losing pieces of yourself with each passing day. You earnestly desire to feel more energetic, more powerful, more hopeful. In other words, you want to connect with your higher self. But how?

Research shows that a growing number of individuals are turning to the art and science of meditation, especially adults in the age range of 45 to 64. And for good reason. Meditation has been shown to have a number of benefits, including reducing stress, controlling anxiety, enhancing self-awareness, and potentially even helping to fight addictions.

Mala beads are particularly popular tools for focusing your attention during meditation, whether you are a beginning meditator or you’re advanced in this practice. Here’s everything you need to know about these prayer beads for meditation.

Why Use Prayer Beads for Meditation?

Mala beads are excellent to use during meditation because they serve as a tactile object that your mind can easily return to when it begins to wander. And yes, this can happen to anyone.

When you roll your mala beads through your fingers, you can physically direct your attention and energy. The use of these beads offers the gentle reminder you need to refocus and reground.

How to Use Mala Beads

To use your beads properly, you’ll first want to hold them out so that you can examine their anatomy. Note that a mala necklace loop traditionally has 108 beads and a tassel. A guru bead is a single bead located between this loop and the tassel. The tassel is essentially your endpoint or the point that signifies that you’ve gone around your mala completely and thus finished a full meditation cycle.

Breathe and Chant

Once you’ve looked at the necklace, find a spot where you can sit comfortably. Your eyes should be closed, and your spine should be straight. Next, take some deep breaths, as this will help with centering yourself and aligning yourself with your particular intention. Then, chant your chosen mantra either silently or out loud.

Turn the Mala Beads

Hold your mala with whichever is your dominant hand, and face the tassel toward you. Next, grab the bead on the right side of your guru bead, and turn it with your fingers. Then, do this for the next bead, and keep moving down the line, turning each bead. However, avoid using your index finger to do the turning, as this finger is said to represent a person’s ego. Instead, use the nail of your thumb to bring each bead toward you. Alternatively, you can rotate each bead with the thumb itself.

Note that there should be knotting between your beads. The knotting should make it easy for you to move from the first bead to subsequent beads.

Focus on Breathing While Handling Your Mala Beads

Each time you grab a bead on your necklace loop, you should deeply inhale and then exhale before proceeding to the following bead. In addition, along with breathing, be sure to repeat your mantra.

An example of a mantra that would work during your meditation is “I am strong”. The word after “I am” should be any word that reflects how you wish to feel at that time. Other words that would fit here include, for example, “intuitive,” “patient,” or “abundant.” However, some meditators use just one word as their mantra, like “love” or “grounded.” Make sure that you say your mantra as you exhale on every bead.

After you’ve reached the 108th bead, you’ll touch the guru bead. At this time, you can sit and reflect on your experience. In addition, you can honor and thank yourself, your guru, and your mantra for the opportunity to sit in peace and stillness. Then, if you’d like to keep meditating once you complete this pause moment, go back around the necklace loop in the reverse direction until you reach the very first bead again.

Additional Considerations

Note that mala necklaces can be made from a wide range of stones, such as labradorite and rose quartz. No matter what it is made from, keep in mind that your necklace during meditation will become what you desire for it to become. With your dreams, hopes, and prayers, you can easily engage your gemstones’ energy.

Also, you may be wondering if you truly have to touch every single one of the 108 beads on your necklace. The short answer is yes if you’re serious about getting the most out of your meditation. That’s because “108” is viewed as a sacred figure in Hinduism. Furthermore, “1” is said to represent your highest truth, God, or the universe. Meanwhile, “0” represents the humility and emptiness associated with spiritual practice. Finally, “8” is a symbol of timelessness and infinity.

Also, while people generally use mala bead necklaces for meditation practice, they usually use mala bead bracelets as constant reminders of their intentions.

Experience the Benefits of Prayer Beads for Meditation

If you’re interested in experiencing a new level of spirituality, now couldn’t be a better time to explore the benefits of meditation with mala beads for yourself. Fortunately, we at BeadsVenture offer these prayer beads for meditation. Our beads are carefully sourced and are high quality, so you can rest assured that they will hold up whether you’re doing your 50th meditation session or your 500th one.

Our mala beads also stand out for their beauty, meaning they can double as trendy accessories to any outfit. For example, we have round rhodonite beads that will make your outfit pop thanks to their beautiful red and pink hues. In addition, you can take advantage of our orange soladite beads, which feature a lovely combination of blue-violet, orange, and white veining. These beads offer brilliant undertones for the perfect look.

Get in touch with us at BeadsVenture to order your favorite mala beads and see for yourself how much they can add to your look and to your meditation practice.