Make your mala

Healing by crafts

Making your 27 Mala

It is a great way to enjoy more of your meditation or Japa practice if you use a mala that is made by yourself. it is also healing to create mala. So, I would like to share how I make my simple 27 mala. I hope you will enjoy it.

Namaste

Before you start…

As it is a healing craft time, I would recommend you to have a little quiet mind before you start and think about what your intention is for this mala. It can be simple like “Kindness” “open heart” or “get grounded” etc…

and when you are ready, maybe you can choose and prepare what kind of beads you would like to use for this mala.

Preparation

1. Your selection of 27 Beads

2. your selection of string ( it should be able to go though all beads’s hole but also not be too thin)

3. Floral water to wet your string so it is easy to go though beads. I use lavender water as it also beneficial for relaxing ( optional)

Guru bead

At the end of Mala, we will put Guru bead which should have bigger hole so it can go though all strings.

Lay out

lay your beads to see how you want your Mala to be.

Step 1

cut your string about 50cm long.

Step 2

Dip an end of the string to make it easy to go through the beads

Step 3

Put all the beads though your string. one by one, gently with grace. if it’s hard to go though a hole you can dip the string in the water again

or cut the end of the string at a sharp angle to create a thinner point

Or make a hole bigger with needle

Step 4

Check your Mala by counting the beads to make sure that there 27 of them.

Step 5

Cut two more strings about 20 cm long each

STep 6

Make a knot with the string from step5 on a main string.

make sure that the knot is bigger than the hole of the bead.

Repeat same thing on the other end and make sure beads are tied together.

Step 7

make a french braid on both side about 5cm

Step 8

Put your guru bead through all the strings

Step 9

Make a big knot with all of the strings at the end of braid

Step 10

Making a tassel

Please see my previous workshop journal “bookmark Making” for more details of how to make a tassel.

Step 11

Cut the bottom of tassel

Step 12

Open the tassel and put it through the loop

Step 13

Fold the tassel over the knot.

Step 14

Tie the Tassel with a string ( I use a different colour string but you can use the same one)

Step 15

You can cut the bottom of tassel to tidy it up

Your very special 27 Mala is here !

You can use the simple steps below to practice meditation by using this beautiful Mala.

How to use Mala for your practice

there are few ways of using mala in our meditation practice. I would like to introduce some simple steps here.

1. Find a comfortable space & position for you to sit and relax.

2. Take a few deep breaths to calm your mind.

3. Start with the bead next to the Guru bead.

4. in Hindu(Yoga) teaching you use the middle finger of your right hand, In Buddhist teaching you can also use your index finger to hang the bead on and place your thumb on top of the bead to gently feel it and bring towards you one by one.

5. Each bead counts as one repetition of the mantra

6. When you come to The guru bead , You don’t count it, and you don’t pass it, You stop there and bow to the Guru, flip the Mala around and start going back the other way……

Few Ideas for your Mantra

✤Om(AUM) : Primordial sound of universe. The sound of void.

✤Mani Mantra(Om Ma Ni Pe Me Hung) : Om-Purifies ego, Ma-Puriefies Jealousy , Ni-Puriefies Passion, by Hindu, Buddhism, Yoga meditation practice

Pe- Puriefies Ignorance , Me-Puriefies Poverty, Hung- Puriefies aggression by Tibetan Buddhism

✤ I am loving awareness : by baba Ramdass