wrapped up in malas
MALAS 108
Mala is a Sanskrit term that means garland and in India there are many different kinds of malas. Their purposes may vary from person to person, but traditionally in India and in the yogic and buddhist traditions, malas are tools for meditation and symbols for “Divinity as Beauty” made manifest.
108
The number 108 is associated with malas of all kinds as most often they will be strung with 108 beads. This number is sacred in Vedic teachings. Astronomically, astrologically and spiritually, 108 is number that represents Divine Intelligence ~ the Source of all we know. Math is a universal language that from the Vedic perspective is something discovered and not invented by humanity. I cannot possible explain it all, but everyone can contemplate the elegance of an intelligent and material source that has led us here now to experience the great unfolding of our lives.
Amidst the wonder and awe of 108 there is the fact that the Sun’s circumference is equal to 108 Earths. The distance between Earth and Moon is 108 Moons and the distance between the Sun and Earth is 108 Suns. It isn’t difficult to believed that this sacred relationship between Sun, Moon and Earth is what makes life on Earth possible for indeed, if the Sun was any bigger or closer to us, there would not be life as we know it on Earth. And, of course, without the Moon, the great mover of the waters, complex life would never have formed. We live within and are inherently part of an incredibly complex, intelligent, magnificent and wondrous web of life! In fact, it is such an elegant system of life that it is shockingly easy to take for granted.
1+8=9 and nine is the number of completion ~ once we roll over to 10 we are back to 1 and a new cycle.
Japa Mala
Japamalas are garlands of 108 sacred beads strung and knotted together with prayers and intention. Traditionally each knot holds a prayer, intention or blessing.
These malas are used in Japa and Mantra meditation to allow the practitioner to focus on the repetition of the mantra without having to think about counting. It provides focus for the body and mind and by wearing them we are reminded to stay connected throughout our daily lives.
Pushpamalas
Pushpamalas are garlands made of beautiful and bright flowers. Pushpamalas tend to be very fragrant, often smelling of jasmine, and are used as a form of offering and worship of various deities, masters and gurus in homes, temples and ashrams throughout India.
Pushpamalas are used in various ceremonies of worship and celebration - in puja as in weddings or cremations, the essence of the Divine is represented and embodied in the perfection and divinity of flowers.
YOGA MALA
There is another kind of sacred mala out of India that many do not often think about and that is the yoga class itself. With this perspective, the sequences are garlands of yoga, wherein vinyasas are like the beads we count and concentrate upon, and asanas are like the blooming flowers threaded by our breath.
From this perspective, the act of yoga practice is an act of meditation, devotion and reverence. When we practice as one with the Divine made manifest in our physical form, each pose is an expression of that which our bodies have the power and the potential to experience and be the “only tool” required for worship and self-realization.
Yoga teaches us that while we may choose to adopt many different techniques, tools and technologies to support us along our path, ultimately, we have been Divinely created and gifted with all we need to self-realize.
An example of an ancient yoga mala ritual is 108x Sun Salutations.
The story of yoga is the story of unity, harmony and balance. The goal of the practice is to unite the masculine and feminine aspects of the self through meditation, pranayama, mantra, yantra, asana, yagya, puja, vedanta, bhakti, and so much more Divine beauty as given from the supreme Soul to humanity to act as sacred tools and holy guidelines through our evolutionary process as a humanity!