What is a yoga mala?
Is this a question you’ve been asking yourself, but haven’t had the courage to actually voice out loud? You don’t want to appear ignorant. You’ve been attending a yoga class for a while now and just last week, someone mentioned a yoga mala in a way that made you feel you should really know what they’re talking about. You smiled and nodded and pretended to understand. When you got home, you googled mala, but all you came up with was an image of a set of mala beads.
So what is a yoga mala? It’s time to find out…
A mala was traditionally a set of beads. 108 beads to be precise.
Why 108? Because 108 is a sacred number in Hinduism and in the yoga tradition. According to Vedic mathematicians, the number 108 represents the wholeness of existence as the average distance of the sun and the moon to Earth is 108 times their respective diameters. In the yogic tradition, there are 108 sacred sites throughout India and the human body has 108 marma points, sacred places of the body.
Mala beads are used as an aid to prayer and meditation. Holding the beads in your hand, you can chant your mantra, voice your affirmation, or take one breath for each bead that you pass through your fingers, so you can keep track of where you are. These prayer beads are also believed to harness spiritual healing, increasing immunity, energy and stamina, as a mala bead necklace is worn during yoga or meditation practice, or as an accessory off the mat too.
So that’s the word ‘mala’ unpacked, but what exactly is a yoga mala?
The concept of a yoga mala was made popular by international yoga teacher and creative catalyst Shiva Rea over ten years ago. Back in 2007, Shiva Rea held the first Global Mala for Peace on the International Day of Peace, always celebrated on 21 September. The Global Mala was a world-wide experiment into the power of meditation in action, incorporating yoga, meditation, mantra and kriya. The vision was to create a “mala around the earth” and the Global Mala Project is offered annually in conjunction with worldwide celebrations in over 50 countries, uniting the global yoga community from every continent and school of yoga.
The underlying motivation for a yoga mala is service in action, with a nominated cause or charity to be supported by the event. It manifests the power of collective action, meditation and intention, as all gather together, united by a passion for yoga and a compassion for people and planet.
A yoga mala can vary in content and delivery, but is typically based on the completion of 108 Surya Namaskar (sun salutations). This is a challenge in itself, often broken down into four sets of 27 sun salutations. Some events suggest sponsorship for each sun salutation completed, because it is a real achievement for any yogi. Of course, poses can be adapted, so that any yoga practitioner can take part. It’s all about participation and collective movement and meditation, leaving no room for any sense of competition or unrealistic goals.
Studios around the UK are now beginning to organise their own yoga mala events. Maybe that’s how you came across the term in the first place. Maybe a studio near you is hosting a yoga mala.
Well, now you know what a yoga mala is. You know what to expect.
A yoga mala is a wonderful way to experience the power of meditation in action. It’s a great opportunity for yoga studios, teachers and students to unite in their love of yoga and participate together in a collective celebration of yoga and service in action.
There’s a tremendous power in moving together as one.
The power to raise collective consciousness to bring about positive change in the world.
Be a part of something global.
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