As we grow old, we look for more meaning in our lives. We learn to appreciate the deeper side of life that we never thought we would when we were out partying with our friends during our early twenties.
When I hit my 28th birthday, that’s when I started to notice how things are changing in my life. I never thought I will get tired of the things I enjoyed doing before—from going out with my friends, getting drunk almost every weekend, heading on spontaneous vacations, etc.
Don’t get me wrong—I love those things. I still love them today and I don’t regret them.
But now, I search for more meaning in the things that I do.
I started to realize the value of self-care and self-love.
I started doing things that are healthy for me and that would make me feel good. Exercise has been such a huge part of my life, and I’m already 30.
My Determination To Be Mindful
I would do various types of workout routines—from boxing, to Barre, to yoga. What I enjoy the most is yoga because I get to practice mindfulness.
I practice yoga thrice a week… sometimes even more. That’s how much I love it.
But just like new yoga students, I had a hard time focusing and getting my mind to clear. Albeit the aim of meditation isn’t about clearing the mind, I was adamant to do so.
I talked to my yoga teacher and asked her some tips on how I can improve my meditation practice, she said that I should try doing it with some mala beads.
How I Started With Mala Beads
Mala beads work like a rosary, but it’s meant for meditation. Some people call it prayer beads as well. One thing that I love about it is that I get to wear them. Since I practice meditation every day in my home, it’s easier for me to have it around my neck while doing so, and my dog tends to play with it when it’s hanging loose on the floor.
So, these mala beads are made with various materials. You can find ones made of wood, stone, or other material. Mine is wooden because I find them more earthy, which matches the grounding of meditation.
A mala bead consists of 108 beads and one head bead. These beads are representative of the 108 worldly sins in the Buddhist tradition. The number of beads is always a multiple of 9. Nine is a sacred number in the Hindu tradition.
Now, the head bead, mine has a Hamsa Hand, lets us meditate through the beads without the need to watch or open our eyes while doing so. It’s easy to feel when we’ve reached the head bead, and that means the first “round” or the meditation practice is completed.
I got the mala beads with the Hamsa hand because of its symbolism. The Hamsa symbol is an open hand with an eye in the middle of the palm. It’s a sacred symbol to many cultures and religions, but what I love most about it is it is widely recognized as a symbol of protection.
It is also representative of the hand of God. My yoga teacher also said that it can promote health, happiness, good luck, and fortune.
I also read online that one of the ancient beliefs around the Hamsa symbol is that it can intercept negative or evil energy.
How Mala Beads Enhanced My Practice
So, how is it helping me?
Well, I have trouble concentrating. There are a million things going around in my head all the time. So, meditation is really a challenge for me. But I know that I needed to practice it because I don’t want these thoughts running in my head all the time. My mind needs a break, too.
That’s why when I got into yoga, meditation followed suit. I was determined to practice and be better at it, and trust me, it works wonders in your overall well-being.
I used mala beads because I find that I work better when I have “additional” tools around. It makes me feel more motivated and at the same time, it makes the entire thing more “real.”
So, if you’re in the journey of meditation and you need help, I highly suggest that you get yourself some prayer beads. You can get as many as you want!
This is where I got my prayer beads with Hamsa hand.
