Are you wondering how on earth you can begin to remove your senses enough to actually attempt to concentrate? Are you too nervous to sit still? Have your nerves gotten the better of you after an uncomfortable situation on the road or with another person? Do you ever wonder
exactly what Pratyahara means? I think I have an answer for you. Back off from your over loaded senses with Mala beads and mantra.
Mala beads – mala meaning “garland” - is a string of 108 and beads with a larger bead (sometimes three extras of the same beads) known as the “guru” or teacher bead. They come with or without a tassel. Mala bracelets typically have 27 beads and one larger (guru bead). Mala beads are meant to take keep your fingers busy while your mind begins to concentrate on counting, breathing, or chanting a mantra thus allowing your
mind to soften and slow down and lead you into meditation.
Begin by choosing a strand of Mala beads that speak to you. Be sure they feel good in your hands as you take one bead to the next. Hold the mala in your left hand between your thumb and forefinger and lightly with your right hand. The forefinger of the left hand gently moves from one bead to the next and the rest of the mala slides softly through your hands. Hold each bead throughout one verse of the mantra you have chosen. Some people choose to work through the Mala with breath, counting, or a chosen mantra. Mantra or intention statements that you are personally working through in your meditation practices are heightened and strengthened by using the Mala to remove those outside forces that strive to distract you from moving deeper into your practice.
I find a wonderful give and take happens with my Malas as well as with the particular mantra I’ve chosen to work with. There are times when the beads don’t want to start pulling softly through my fingers or feel like they are sticky or stuck. As I keep breathing, chanting (either listening, saying out loud, or to myself), and moving my fingers through the Mala my senses begin to dissolve, the beads move easier and gradually flow like water through my hands. Often,I can feel the blocks remove and shift. Of course, if my meditative seat is uncomfortable, I have a hard time getting going with using my Malas and Mantras to remove my senses, so be sure you have a good seat before starting.
Blessing your Malas is a beautiful way to ensure that Malas work for you. I cleanse my Malas physically before placing a blessing in them – if they are crystal or able to be placed in water, gently wash and dry them. If they are wood, then wipe them off with a soft damp cloth. I personally bless my Malas with Prayer and Reiki and then choose a particular mantra that I want those beads to be “dedicated” to and say that mantra through the beads three times. Of course, I can use my Malas for any mantra or meditation purpose, but they seem to bring a stronger power to my intention when I use a particular Mala for a given situation. It is all up to you. Malas and Mantras are personal methods to apply the limb of Pratyahara to help you move into that wonderful meditation, open yourself to what GOD has to tell you and find that blissful moment in the midst of your busy life.
Namaste,
Dr. Kathie Black
exactly what Pratyahara means? I think I have an answer for you. Back off from your over loaded senses with Mala beads and mantra.
Mala beads – mala meaning “garland” - is a string of 108 and beads with a larger bead (sometimes three extras of the same beads) known as the “guru” or teacher bead. They come with or without a tassel. Mala bracelets typically have 27 beads and one larger (guru bead). Mala beads are meant to take keep your fingers busy while your mind begins to concentrate on counting, breathing, or chanting a mantra thus allowing your
mind to soften and slow down and lead you into meditation.
Begin by choosing a strand of Mala beads that speak to you. Be sure they feel good in your hands as you take one bead to the next. Hold the mala in your left hand between your thumb and forefinger and lightly with your right hand. The forefinger of the left hand gently moves from one bead to the next and the rest of the mala slides softly through your hands. Hold each bead throughout one verse of the mantra you have chosen. Some people choose to work through the Mala with breath, counting, or a chosen mantra. Mantra or intention statements that you are personally working through in your meditation practices are heightened and strengthened by using the Mala to remove those outside forces that strive to distract you from moving deeper into your practice.
I find a wonderful give and take happens with my Malas as well as with the particular mantra I’ve chosen to work with. There are times when the beads don’t want to start pulling softly through my fingers or feel like they are sticky or stuck. As I keep breathing, chanting (either listening, saying out loud, or to myself), and moving my fingers through the Mala my senses begin to dissolve, the beads move easier and gradually flow like water through my hands. Often,I can feel the blocks remove and shift. Of course, if my meditative seat is uncomfortable, I have a hard time getting going with using my Malas and Mantras to remove my senses, so be sure you have a good seat before starting.
Blessing your Malas is a beautiful way to ensure that Malas work for you. I cleanse my Malas physically before placing a blessing in them – if they are crystal or able to be placed in water, gently wash and dry them. If they are wood, then wipe them off with a soft damp cloth. I personally bless my Malas with Prayer and Reiki and then choose a particular mantra that I want those beads to be “dedicated” to and say that mantra through the beads three times. Of course, I can use my Malas for any mantra or meditation purpose, but they seem to bring a stronger power to my intention when I use a particular Mala for a given situation. It is all up to you. Malas and Mantras are personal methods to apply the limb of Pratyahara to help you move into that wonderful meditation, open yourself to what GOD has to tell you and find that blissful moment in the midst of your busy life.
Namaste,
Dr. Kathie Black