If you’re into wearing gemstone jewelry, you might have heard about mala beads.
Mala beads, or simply malas, can be used to enhance the vibrations of your crystal charms, helping to manifest your intentions.
In this guide, we’ll be talking about malas and how you can use them to help realize your goals.
Table of Contents
What are Mala Beads?
Mala beads are a type of prayer beads common in religions such as Buddhism. They serve as a tool to keep track of the number of times a mantra is recited, chanted, or mentally repeated.
Traditional malas are composed of 108 beads, one guru bead, and a tassel, pendant, or charm. They usually come in the form of mala necklaces.
However, you can also find a mala with fewer beads. These malas come as bracelets usually strung with 18 beads.
While these prayer beads are commonly used for religious purposes, they can also be utilized in other practices. Today, a mala serves as a tool for meditation, yoga, and mindfulness.
In the practice of intention setting with crystals, malas come in handy, too.
How Can Malas Help Manifest Your Intentions
Malas composed of 108 beads are often used to manifest one’s intentions.
To understand how a mala helps, first, you need to know the significance of the 108 beads.
The Significance of the Number 108
In Buddhism, 108 is considered a sacred number.
Repeating a mantra 108 times helps you to remain focused. When you do, it brings you closer to your highest spiritual self.
In this spiritual state, you get to align the vibrations of your intentions to that of the universe. This is how a mala helps manifest your desires.
Malas and Your Intentions
What intentions can you set with a mala?
Here are some mantras you can chant with these prayer beads:
- Health and Wellness. I am healed from all sickness, I live a healthy life.
- Success and Wealth. I am successful in the financial aspect of my life. My career/business is thriving, and it gets better every day.
- Love and Relationships. I am deserving of true love, I become a better version of myself each day.
- Peace and Harmony. I am free of all my worries, I enjoy living each day with peace of mind.
- Protection and Guidance. I am protected from the negativity around me. The divine guides me to safety at all times.
How to Use a Buddhist Prayer Beads: 6 Steps
Here are six simple steps you can follow to use a mala bead for manifestation:
- Starting at the guru bead, hold the mala with one hand. Let the beads drape across your fingers.
- Recite your mantra aloud or silently.
- For each mantra that you chant, run each bead through your fingers. However, avoid using your index finger as this represents ego.
- Keep reciting the mantra 108 times, traveling around the mala until you reach the guru bead again.
- When you get to the guru bead after a full cycle, take time to pause and reflect or continue your practice if you would like to do so.
- If you decide to continue, just move your fingers in the opposite direction until you reach the guru bead again.
Choosing Your Mala
Malas come in various styles and materials.
You can choose from a mala necklace or bracelet. You can also opt to have seeds, gemstones, or other materials for its beads.
To determine which mala is best for you, ask yourself the following:
How Many Beads are in the Mala?
If you’re using the mala to manifest your intentions, we suggest getting one with 108 beads.
Mala Necklace
Traditional malas, aka Japa malas, have 108 beads.
They often come in the form of a mala necklace which you can wear and carry anywhere you go.
As mentioned above, 108 is an auspicious number in many religions.
Although 108 has significance for spiritual use, you may also opt for a lower number of beads.
Mala Bracelet
If you’re not fond of necklaces, you can go for a mala bracelet, which is a type of Tibetan bracelet.
Also known as Arhat beads, you can use this mala instead to keep track of 18 cycles of mantra repetition.
What Kind of Beads are in the Mala?
If you look in the market today, you can find malas with beads made either of the following:
Seed Beads
Most malas made of seed beads have sacred meanings to Buddhism.
For example, the Rudraksha seed is one of the most commonly used materials in mala beads. This seed is believed to protect people from negativity while seeking a higher spiritual plane.
Gemstone Beads
Each gemstone is believed to have metaphysical properties that can inspire various effects.
For instance, malas made of the amazonite stone are said to have calming energies that can soothe you during meditation.
Choosing Your Beads
When choosing the beads in your mala, make sure to check the meaning behind the material.
Align your personal goals to the meaning of the beads to maximize the effects of your mala.
Manifest Your Intentions with Malas Now!
Mala beads aren’t only great-looking pieces of necklace or bracelet.
They also serve as a powerful tool to aid your intention setting with crystals.
Use these prayer beads if you want to manifest your intention of health, wealth, success, love, or protection!