What should I do with my mala when I’m not using it? What’s the best way to store it?
An empowered mala is often kept in a sacred place when it’s not being used, worn, or carried. Many people will place them around the neck of a Buddha statue or the statue of another deity that they may be working with or whom the beads are dedicated to. You can also keep them in a special box or cloth bag and keep that on your altar or in another sacred space. These are sacred tools, so like any other sacred or magickal tool it should be cared for with respect.
What are your thoughts on wearing malas as jewelry?
Wearing malas as jewelry is one of the ways to draw on its power outside of prayer and meditation. Just like you might not let people grab at your pentacle necklace or the crystals you wear outwardly as jewelry, don’t let people start grabbing for your mala beads. People will be drawn to your beads if you wear them as jewelry because, for most people, they will be quite unusual. They’ll be all the more curious if you are wearing a mala that has genstones on it as well. As long as you’re treating your mala as sacred and you’re keeping in mind the real purpose of it, there’s not problem with wearing it like jewelry.
What’s the best way to care for a mala? Do they need to be smudge or cleansed?
Like an other tool that will be used for prayer, energy work, and sacred practice you will find over time that it needs a little refreshing and cleansing. If you are wearing your mala out and people touch it a good deal, you’ll want to cleans it. Using a singing bowl and using vibration to do the cleansing is my preferred method, especially if there are gemstones involved in the mala. This resets the dominant oscillatory rate of the stones back to their natural DOR, making them as energetically pure as possible. For woods and seeds you can use the same method or you can use smudge or incense as well.
In general be mindful of how you use and wear your mala. Don’t wear it in the shower or bath or when you go swimming. Don’t wear it when you sleep, and if you’re going to be doing any heavy physical activity like exercise or yoga, either take it off {which is idea} or make sure that it is securely tucked into a shirt or wrapped around your wrist. I know a lot of people like to wear their mala while doing yoga, which is fine, but it depends on how rigorous your yoga routine is. Even wrapped around your wrist, if too light, you can easily snap the string your beads are on while doing any positions that have you flexing your wrists and putting weight on your hands.
Choosing a mala
- Does the color resonate with the chakra connected to my intention?
- Does the shape of the Guru Stone react an energy that I resonate with?
- Do the materials it’s made of resonate with my intention?
Use your intuition if you aren’t sure. If you’re picking out a mala in person, be sure to hold it and take a moment to feel the energy of it. You can ask the mala “Are you the right one for {your intention}?” Go with your gut here, even if logically the speci c materials may not be right. If you feel that YES, this is my mala, then that’s the one.
In many Eastern traditions chanting and prayer are done in certain numbers. By run- ning the beads through your ngers as you chant you’re able to keep track of how many times you have chanted a mantra or said a prayer.
When we repeat a phrase over and over something import- ant happens in our minds and souls. The energy that is cre- ated through the vibration of repeating that thing time and time again starts to seep into our subconscious. It changes our energy and the vibration we radiate out into the world. In turn, that changes the way we see things and things that show up in our lives. It attracts a different kind of energy and helps us to manifest what we truly desire.
This is why we need to be so careful about the words and phrases we use in our lives day in and day out. Words have energy and power beyond our understanding sometimes!
Malas are wonderful for helping to tame the “monkey mind” during medi- tation. By having the beads to keep your hands and your active mind busy you can draw your inner focus to the words you’re saying and the intention you’re working on with less distraction.
Working with a mala also helps us to remember to breathe during medita- tion and chanting. It helps us to keep pace. For each bead, you repeat your mantra or phrase and then do a deep inhale and exhale before moving on to the next bead.
Even if you aren’t chanting as part of your meditation you can simply clear your head, let go of stress, and focus your mind by using the mala. Use the beads to track your breath by inhaling with one bead and exhaling as you move to the next and so on.
