Mala Making & Art Meditation Workshop

Many of the world’s major religions use counting beads, or passing beads or knots through their fingers as a form of prayer, meditation or devotion. In this lesson, you will learn about prayer beads, where the word ‘mala’ comes from and how it is used in Buddhist and Hindu meditation.

I refer to the Sanskrit language a few times. If you are not familiar with Sanskrit, it is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. it is the oldest language in the world, about 5000 years old. The language of yoga, Sanskrit is a language of sound & vibrational frequency more so than any other. When you chant Sanskrit you are releasing a vibrational frequency that resonates throughout your mind, body & spirit, connecting you to all beings everywhere.

One of the most common questions I receive is “Why 108 beads?” In this section, you will learn about the anatomy of a mala including the significance of 108 beads, what is the big bead at the bottom of the mala, the Guru bead? Do malas have to be knotted? Why are most finished with a tassel?

Download: Significance of 108 to accompany this lesson.

Please read below for additional content not mentioned in the video.

Creating a mala with a different number of beads

I always share about the significance of 108 beads so that guests can understand more about this important component, but what I ALWAYS express to everyone is: make YOUR mala however many meads are significant to YOU! I think it’s nice to learn about traditional malas and perhaps you are inspired to create yours in this tradition but maybe there is another number, or a multiple of a number that holds tremendous meaning for you. Maybe you want your mala a different length as a full 108 bead, 8mm mala hangs to the navel area for most people. I encourage you to create your sacred piece of jewelry with the amount of beads that are significant to you.

In Tibetan Buddhism, the malas often include a marker bead at either 21 or 27 beads, that feels a bit different than the others so that the practitioner knows where in the 108 bead strand they are with their meditation. So, is there a number that is significant to you that you would like to accent your mala with? You can keep the tradition with a marker bead at 27 or perhaps at another number that is symbolic to you. I have had guests place a marker bead at their favorite/lukcy number, for example, and others who placed one on the number of an important date, like their birthday or their children’s birthday. Again, just another idea for you to incorporate greater meaning into your personal mala.

The Tassel

I share quite a bit about the significance of the tassel as it is symbolic of the lotus flower. What I didn’t speak about in the video is how the threads of the tassel are also meant to remind us of the roots of the lotus flower and how important it is for us to remain rooted in what grounds us. Perhaps that is nature and earth, or maybe it is a specific faith or spiritual path.

In Japa Meditation, a mala is a string of 108 beads used to count mantras in sets of 108 repetitions. But what is a mantra?

The word mantra comes from the sanskrit “manas” which means mind, and “trai” which is to deliver from or protect, or a tool. Therefore a mantra is a word or sound that protects our mind, frees it from all the monkey business going on inside. Another translation I’ve learned is that mantra can be translated as “man” = heart and “tra” = liberation & expansion and so using a mantra is liberating and expanding the energy of the heart.

Traditionally, a mantra would be passed down from a guru to his/her student and when used in japa meditation, a mala would be used with only that one mantra. As the student repeated their mantra using their mala over and over, the mala would infuse the energy of that specific mantra.

When used in meditation, a mantra can be spoken out loud, audibly, or softly as a whisper. However, it is believed to be most powerful when the mantra is spoken without sound, quietly in our own mind.

One of those powerful mantras is Aum. Perhaps you’ve heard this mantra changed before or have chanted it yourself in yoga class. (sometimes spelled as Ohm). Aum is believed to be the sound of when the universe was created, the first heartbeat, and so when we are chanting Aum we are continuing in the process of creation, connecting us to all beings everywhere. When chanting Aum know that it is a 3-syllable mantra pronounced “Ah - Oh - mm.”

To learn more in addition to what is in the recorded video, download Mantra

When we set an intention for our mala, it provides the opportunity to give greater meaning to it as well as to the full experience of creating it.

The Sanskrit word for intention is Sankalpa.

Kalpa = a rule or vow to be followed before anything else.

San = connection to our highest truth.

Download for ideas shared in the video.

We learned about setting intentions for our mala but how do we infuse these prayers and our energy into our sacred piece of jewelry? In this video, I am sharing with you some personal stories that will hopefully inspire ideas for how you can literally, metaphorically and spiritually bind your intentions into each bead and knot you make. Every mala you create is an opportunity to spread love and positive vibrations into your life and out into the world.

Sacred Beading

Before you begin, I have a few more suggestions and reminders and would love to share with you some inspirational reading from a section in Beads of Faith by Susannah Marriot and Gray Henry:

For many indigenous people of the Americas, such as the Huichol in Mexico, the Ojibwe in Canada and the Iroquois in the United States, the act of beading is a reverential, repetitive, therefore meditative ritual which provides a way of experiencing the heartbeat of creation while opening a conduit to the divine realm. Traditionally, the divine was believed to be embedded in every piece of native beadwork… Women accepted the work as a sacred token or vow in the heart and a particular piece would come to be regarded as a form of prayer for the person it was made to honor. As they worked, beaders were urged to think good thoughts, contemplate nature and revere the tiny beads as offerings from the spirit world.

Ready to do some Sacred Beading of your own?

Remember that hand-knotting your first mala will probably take you at least 1.5-2 hours and about 2.5-3 to complete it so be sure to plan accordingly. If you are completing your mala in one sitting, I recommend you take at least a few breaks to stand up, stretch, look out to a far distance for a while… your back, neck and eyes will thank you later.

Lastly, PLEASE send me pictures of your personal workshop experience and the mala you create. I would really appreciate. You can send them directly to suzi@bajamalas.com, or share on social media and tag @bajamalas. Gracias!!

The beauty of meditating with your mala is that it is quite simple. As the video explains, hold your mala in one hand and use the other to pass the beads through as you repeat your mantra.

To start, please all of the beads in one hand and with your thumb and middle finger of the other, hold the bead next to the guru bead. Close your eyes. Take few deep inhales and exhales. With the guru bead facing you, draw the bead towards you as your repeat your mantra. Then place your thumb and middle finger on the next bead, repeating your mantra, pulling/drawing the beads towards you and with each bead, repeat your mantra.

If you continue to practice your meditation repeating your mantra more than 108 times, pause when you get to your guru bead and turn the beads over, so that you do NOT cross over the guru bead to continue. You will be using the mala to go back in the other direction, but continually drawing the beads towards you.

We do not cross over the Guru Bead during meditation as it is believed to be disrespectful to do so.

Also, we do not use our index finger to touch or draw the beads during meditation as it is believed the index finger represents our ego and we want to leave our ego out of our meditation process.

Some practitioners use their thumb and ring finger as it is believe the ring fingers represents the connection to our heart. Try and see what feels most natural to you.

CONNECTION. COMMUNITY. CREATING.

A Mala Making Workshop provides the perfect opportunity to gather your friends and family and share in a meaningful experience together.  You may seek to enjoy this art meditation alone in sweet solitude, or share it with a special community as a memorable, bonding activity.

Use this experience to

• CONNECT to yourself, the divine and others.

• Be in COMMUNITY with people you know or perhaps as an opportunity to meet and get to know others better. Enjoying community feeds our spirit and nourishes our soul.

• CREATE with your hands an intentional, sacred piece of jewelry that you may use as a tool for meditation, wear as a unique fashion accessory or give as a gift.

  
  

Some ideas:

• Bridal or Baby Shower: everyone make a mala as an event activity, or have everyone choose a handful of beads and write down their prayer for each bead to represent. You collect the beads and prayers, and make the mala as a united gift.

• Birthday Party or as a meaningful Bachelorette Party activity.

• New Year’s or other significant holiday Mindful Activity

• Make to give as a gift

• Activity to do while on vacation, traveling, or driving  on long road trips.

• Make a mala as a way to honor a major transition or celebration in your life.

In this video, I share with you several different ways to create the perfect knot to connect your beads, intentions and prayers together.

You will learn that this isn’t rocket science. It’s fairly simple, but simple doesn’t always mean easy and quick. I demonstrate (well, actually it is my daughter’s beautiful hands) a few different ways to knot the beads together but know that it takes at least 10-20 beads before most people get the hang of it… or as I often say, find their groove - the way that works for them and their fingers.

Be sure you have reviewed the section Gathering your Materials first.

As you string and knot together your 108 beads you will quickly discover why I refer to this process as an art meditation. It does require a bit of focus and concentration.

During my live workshops, when I demonstrate how to tie the knots, I always ask for everyone to first watch me, and then try it on their own. So, I say the same to you. Please watch the video first and then start on your own.

You’ll make mistakes. It won’t be perfect. But that’s ok. Embrace the process of learning something new. Remember, it is about the process. Enjoy the journey and don’t be so focused on the destination.

We have knotted our 108 beads together and know it is time to bind them with our Guru bead. As you learned in The Anatomy of a Mala, in Sanskrit Gu=Dark and Ru=Light.

Our Guru bead is significant of the spiritual guide in our life that guides towards joy, light, healing and love. Perhaps this meaning will direct you to the stone that signifies this meaning in your life.

The Guru Bead is the 109th bead and is sometimes referred to as the Meru bead as well as is typically larger than the 108 meditation beads.

if you are able to purchase a Guru bead with a 2mm hole, it will make the process a bit easier, but it’s not necessary.

Almost done! Time to finish your intention-filled, 108 bead mala with a string tassel.

Gather your scissors, DMC embroidery floss (string), lighter and glue, if you have. I recommend GS-Hypo cement jewelry glue, but you can use a super glue or fabric glue, too.

I recommend having a sharp pair of scissors handy. You will appreciate it. Oh and you’ll need an extra set of hands.

As you bind your beads, prayers, guru (spiritual guide) all together with your string, take a pause to reflect and revisit your intentions. When I tie my guru bead and even the tassel on, I often like to be intentional with each knot I create, securing my prayers together.

Here you go: A lesson my in-person guests don’t learn. How to make a leather tassel!

My signature finish to 90% of the Baja Malas I design, create and sell is the leather tassel. I love to use soft deerskin leather string, or laces they’re often called. If using leather doesn’t sit well with you, perhaps you can find some faux-leather, or even cactus leather. I think that these instructions, along with the Creating a String Tassel lesson, will teach you how to make a tassel with a variety of materials, including hemp and cotton cord.

Don’t forget to gather your materials and tools first and I do recommend watching the video before you dive in to making your own.