Practicing a mindfulness ritual can remind us to slow down, savor life and move forward with grounded energy. Malas are a beautiful meditation tool to connect with during your practice. Try our mala ritual to find your center.

 

Hello goddess. 

When life becomes hectic, do you go with the rush of it all, forgetting yourself for the sake of others, caught up in the flavor of the season?

Or do you return to Self, slow down, and remember: the most holy connection you have is with your heart, your soul? 

Mindfulness is the surrender to your breath to still the mind, to key into your feelings in your body. Simply, it is the practice of being present. 

A key way to slow down and cultivate mindfulness is by using your breath. 

Can you observe your breath without controlling the length of your inhales and exhales? 

Can you sit right now and contemplate the wonder that is your breath? 

If it helps, close your eyes and count twenty inhales and exhales. 

We don’t always have the luxury of time to sit and meditate, but by feeling into our breath at any point of the day, we bring more consciousness into the present. 

You can also use your mala to bring more focus to your breath and attention to the present. The underlying tenet of a mala is to bring a sense of mindfulness through repetition, through a tangible connection to something to focus your mind. You can use these beads to count each breath, prayer, or mantra. 

A mala is mainly used in the right hand, as the left hand in Indian tradition is the “unclean” hand. 

Hold with your index and middle fingers, and use your thumb to move from one bead to the next. 

Before you begin, close your eyes and hold the guru stone between your fingers; clarify your intent; settle into the space. 

When you feel ready, begin to move from bead to bead with every breath. 

Continue for as long as you are able to focus on the beads moving through your fingertips; do not put pressure on yourself to complete the entire 108 beads. Every day will be different; some days, you will be surprised to find the guru stone beneath your finger pads at the completion of a cycle; some days it will be a struggle to move past the first few. 

Soften into the practice and slowly, you will learn grace. 

Carry your mala with you when you need a tangible reminder to soften, to slow down, to surrender. 

The act of mindfulness is an act of surrender, of recognising: this is how I release control and let what may, be. To let go, and let God. 

It is an act of divine love - for yourself, and in turn, for the people around you. It is your offering, your service, to the world. 

You will find once you become more mindful of your actions, you create a more conscious life; a life led by heart, by soul. For to be mindful is to accept responsibility for what you do, and the consequences of that. Over time, you will start identifying old patterns, learned patterns, inherited patterns - and stand up and say, “This is not something I wish to continue. I wish to do and be better, for myself.” 

Mindfulness is a process, a journey.

Some days you may falter, some days you may fall. But always, you get back up - and every time you do, the true illumination of your soul stands with you, burning brighter.