Chanting malas
Perhaps you’ve seen or heard of chanting malas or chanting beads and wondered what that was all about? Well, they are a way for devoted people to keep track of the number of rounds of chanting they do in a day, basically. But anybody can use them, you don’t need to be of a particular religion or even religious at all.
The essence of chanting beads or japa malas is to keep the mind singularly focused on the desired object. And prevent your mind from wandering back into the past, or into the future, or replaying hurts and anger, potentially leading you into a downward spiral of anger or depression.
Here’s how you can use chanting beads to center and calm you while walking.
The idea is to pick a phrase, it can be a short mantra, such as “OM”, it can be a traditional chant such as the “Maha Mantra” or the “Jesus Prayer” 1. You can even use an affirmation such as “Today I will succeed,”
The tactile rolling of the beads between your fingers keeps your body focused; saying your phrase softly aloud gives your mind the hearing and speaking sensations to keep you anchored in the present.
I have seven different malas that I like to use, depending on how I’m feeling or what area of my spiritual growth I’d like to focus on. Loosely, the seven malas represent the seven chakras, so if I’m feeling a lack in some emotional, physical or spiritual area, I will take out and chant on the corresponding mala to elevate and focus on that chakra. Belief in the chakras is unnecessary. Just being self-aware and knowing which area you need to work on for growth is enough.
I’m going to tell you about my chanting beads based on the heart chakra to give you ideas for your very own personal beads. If you personalize them, you are more apt to take them with you on that walk and use them to keep your mind anchored in the present moment. This is my go-to mala to raise compassion and kindness in my daily dealings with people. Something I feel I need a lot of reminding about these days. No judging!
Guru Bead
My first bead, the starting point called a guru bead, is a hollowed-out teardrop-shaped bead with a screw top opening. Inside are the ashes from the fire pit of my first Vipassana retreat where I was to live like a beggar, dependent on the generosity of others who came before me. It was to humble me and also teach me to be generous, as others had been generous to me.
Bodhi Seed Bead
Next are bodhi beads, generic chanting beads of high vibration.
“What exactly is a bodhi bead,” you ask? I have an answer for you right here -> What the heck are bodhi beads?
Lava Stone
And in between these I have some lava stones. Not only are these very grounding, but these porous rocks hold essential oils for you to smell anytime you need some olfactory grounding. I usually rub Sandalwood oil on my beads as it helps me to remain focused, but you might find something else that works better for you. Or you can change up the fragrances depending on your mood. Lavender or patchouli would be great.
Green Jade
Moving along the beads, I come to green jade. When I’m chanting along my beads, they are in a bag so I don’t see them, but I feel my way along them. The green Jade is smooth and cooler than the rest of the mala. It is here that I remember to focus on my heart, to bring more compassion into every interaction in my life, to remember we are all here on the same journey, at different levels of consciousness, and to have compassion and kindness to all I meet today. Green is the color of the heart or Anahata chakra so as my fingers roll over the beads and my mantra flows from my mouth, I focus on the area of the heart, bringing the energy of love to this area. If it is difficult for me to get a sense of feeling in the chest or heart area, I’ll say out loud, “YUM” which is the vibration that you can feel in this area as it resonates with the heart chakra.
Bone Beads
Next, are narrow bone beads carved to represent a skull. Here, I reflect on the impermanence of life, the impermanence of everything, really. Everything around us rises, stays for a while, then passes away. Anicca. Nothing but our spirit, our soul, our cosmic energy escapes this reality. Think about it and you will live a happier life, focusing on the here and now and not attach to the material world as it will all eventually be gone. Anicca.
Sandalwood
Then I have several sandalwood beads because I just love sandalwood and it gives me great pleasure to roll my fingers over them. You could use anything you like that resonates with you.
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8 Yoga Limbs
At the halfway mark on my mala, I have 8 strands of knotted threads for me to recite the eight limbs or paths of traditional yoga. So I go through each Yogic rule or limb, reciting each one in my mind and maybe even thinking of a way to incorporate one special aspect into my life today, or maybe an insight into one. You could easily substitute the ten commandments here, or any creed which you wish to remember to help you live a more spiritual life.
Then it’s back down the other half of the mala which is the same as the first half. A traditional mala has 108 beads, so we’re chanting up 54 times then down the other side another 54 times. When we make it all the way back to the beginning, the guru bead, turn your fingers around, and go back up the mala. Don’t cross over the guru bead. You don’t want to create a vortex, a circle of energy. Turn around and go back the other way, repeating your chosen mantra at each bead and stopping along the way to reflect at the special beads and spacers along the way.
Mindful Chanting Malas
If your mind wanders, “oh what am I going to have for dinner?” or “why did she look at me like that?” or “I only got 2 likes on my last Instagram post,” just bring it back gently to your mantra. Be kind to yourself.
The glorious thing about these mindfulness tools is that they are beautiful, you can wear them so they are always with you, and as you can see, you can customize them so they have special meaning for you. Many people believe there are many rules for chanting with a mala, but there doesn’t have to be. Feel free to use these beautiful spiritual tools in any way that helps YOU in YOUR spiritual growth. You will develop your own “rules”, organically from the heart, for your mala.
Have Your Dream Mala Made
Have a mala custom-made for you by IndiOdyssey. Hand-knotted just for you by women in Vrindavan, India. Choose from Sandalwood, Tulasi, Neem, Rudraksha, Lava Stones and other gemstones.
- The Way of a Pilgrim, or The Pilgrim’s Tale is the English title of a 19th-century Russian work, recounting the narrator’s journey as a pilgrim while practicing the Jesus Prayer. The pilgrim’s travels take him through southern and central Ukraine, Russia, and Siberia. It is unknown if the book is literally an account of a single pilgrim, or if it uses a fictional pilgrim’s journey as a vehicle to teach the practice of ceaseless inner prayer and communion with God.[↩]
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