Mala Prayer Beads: The Beginner's Guide

Mala prayer beads are a string of beads to help with meditation and strengthen inner peace and mindfulness. These are commonly used by members of the Hindu and Buddhist religions, but you can observe members of other religions use them as well. These include Sikhism and Jainism since they’re related to Hinduism and Buddhism.

Mala beads are gaining popularity in the US due to the growing trend of Yoga and meditation. Most people use these Mala beads during their Yoga and Meditation sessions to strengthen their concentration and spirituality as well.

Usually, Malas are made from Rudraksha seeds and sandalwood, and sometimes, precious and semi-precious gemstones. Rudraksha seeds are dried seeds from a tree that is mostly found in south-east Asia. It is a flowering plant with the botanical name Elaeocarpus Ganitrus.

Meanwhile, sandalwood is a type of wood. Sandalwood is a scented wood and is famous for its ability to retain its aromatic fragrance for years or even decades. Sandalwood oil is also used in many products, such as oils, perfumes, and other beauty products. It is also one of the most expensive kinds of wood in the world because of its uses and benefits.

Gemstones in Mala beads are used for their spiritual properties. A variety of gemstones are used in malas, with people buying them depending on the benefits they’re trying to get.

Each mala contains 108 beads and the largest bead, which lies in the center, is the guru. This specific bead is responsible for holding all the energy generated during meditation. The number of beads, which is 108, holds value for many reasons. These are based in disciplines like science, Sanskrit, astrology, numerology, mathematics, and nature.

Mala prayer beads are mostly used when chanting mantras, which translate to Japa in Sanskrit. This continuous chanting works while counting on beads simultaneously. This helps you maintain your breathing and well-being. It also helps you shut out all your worries, so you can focus on positive, inner thoughts. Some of the basic benefits of Mala prayer beads include:

Mala prayer beads help you focus on mindful breathing while chanting mantras on the mala. This way, you focus on breathing patterns and control your breath while inhaling and exhaling.

This practice not only improves mindful breathing, but also helps you feel relaxed and calm.

Mala beads help you achieve inner peace, which further helps you attain personal growth. When you feel relaxed and calm from within, you focus better on things. You start growing and evolving as a person, and your inner growth results in overall growth.

You get to learn about your inner self, which builds self-awareness about your body and mind. Once you achieve the path to self-awareness, you can then work on your limitations and comfort level to further enhance your attributes. Not to mention, you can combine your strengths to work towards your goals.

The beads in the mala are neatly arranged through an elastic band. Chanting prayers on the mala beads is a good way to learn about how these beads unite with each other to provide you with the spiritual healing you need. These beads are for the purpose of helping you understand how important people are to each other. It teaches the lesson that together, we can be much stronger and wiser. Not only do you achieve inner harmony this way, but you’ll start to feel it all around you as well.

As these mala beads are a combination of natural and spiritual elements, it helps you maintain inner peace and energy. Certain elements, such as Rudraksha and gemstones, hold immense importance for some worshippers, allowing them to experience calmness because of their symbolic properties. The main purpose of the mala is to attain inner peace, which is crucial to help heal the body, soul, and mind.

The sense of touch, especially with regards to some healing elements, activates and stimulates energy points. If you chant mantras on a regular basis and in a rhythmic pattern, your positive energy starts flowing, and negative energy starts leaving your mind and body.

Your mind then becomes habitual of receiving and forwarding positive perspectives and thinking patterns, so you attract positive energy and spread it to those around you.

Malas are made up of many materials, such as wood, gemstones, and Rudraksha seeds, and each element connects to your inner strengths, weaknesses, and your virtues.

When choosing Mala prayer beads for yourself, you have to be sure of your weaknesses first. These are areas that you need to work on and can pertain to different aspects of your life. Once you determine this, you can move forward by selecting stones that can match your attributes and help you overcome your flaws.

Chakra is a Hindi word that translates to Wheel in English. Chakra resembles our wheel of life, and it’s associated with our energy, including our physical and emotional well-being. Here’s an analysis of the Body Chakras and stones to use according to their significance:

The base of the spine refers to your sense of security and survival, which keeps you grounded. Balancing this Chakra can help you achieve peace in your life while relieving all your stress and anxiety. The stones associated with this Chakra are:

This Chakra revolves around your desires, creativity, and sexuality. This Chakra is responsible for maintaining your anger issues, self-control, and desires. Stones used to maintain this Chakra are:

This Chakra indicates your sense of power and protection. If maintained well, this Chakra can bring about stability, happiness, and physical and spiritual growth in your life. Stones that can help maintain this Chakra are:

This fourth Chakra is responsible for compassion and love, both towards yourself and those around you as well. It is responsible for maintaining an emotional balance between the relationships you have in your life. Stones for this Chakra are:

This fifth Chakra is for communication. It is responsible for your confidence, communication, and expressions. Stones used to maintain this Chakra are:

This sixth Chakra maintains spiritual growth and awareness. Balancing this Chakra helps you with vision, clarity, consciousness, and insight. Stones associated with this Chakra are:

This is the highest Chakra of your body and life which associates with your self-awareness, consciousness, patience, and enlightenment. To balance your Crown chakra is very important, and this helps to maintain balance in your body and mind. It helps you to take hold of your train of thought. The stones associated with this Chakra are:

Mala prayer beads are used to recite mantras. To use it, first find a quiet place to sit peacefully. Sitting cross-legged is recommended, so you can focus on your mind and body’s connection and rhythm, but if sitting in an upright position is not comfortable, you can also lie down to use a mala.

Then, a basic step is to drape the mala on your middle finger while holding the mala in your hand. With the help of your thumb, you can start slipping the beads, one by one, chanting the mantras that best suit you.

Remember that when you’re chanting on the mala, start from the Guru bead. Then, you can slide the beads clockwise or anticlockwise. As you slide each bead, you have to inhale and then exhale. Then, you can finish when you reach the Guru bead. If you want to get into the habit of using your mala, start by using it for 5 minutes every day and then increase the time limit gradually.

Apart from the precious spiritual and mental benefits that a Mala offers, you can also use them as a fashion accessory. You can gift it to someone who is fond of Yoga and Meditation or use it as a decoration piece in your house. To buy beautiful Mala prayer beads, you can also check our collection.