Mala (mālā): The 108-Bead Garland and How It Is Used
मालाmālā
Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 27 September 2026
A mala is a garland — usually 108 beads plus a head bead — used to count repetitions of a mantra during japa.
In short
- Mālā simply means garland, of flowers or of beads; a japa mala is the counting kind.
- The standard strand is 108 beads plus a larger meru or guru bead marking the start of a round.
- Wrist malas of 27 beads are a quarter round.
- Traditional practice moves one bead per repetition with the thumb and turns back at the head bead rather than crossing it.
- Bead materials carry traditional associations, not physical effects on the body.
Derivation
Mālā means garland or wreath. A japa mālā is the garland used for counting; the same word covers a garland of flowers offered at a shrine.
The structure
The standard strand carries 108 beads plus a larger meru or guru bead. 108 is a traditional sacred number in Indian cosmology, appearing in many contexts; the practical effect is a round long enough to settle into and short enough to finish. Knots between beads mean a broken cord loses one bead rather than all of them.
Materials
Rudraksha seeds are associated with Shiva and are the traditional choice in many yogic and Shaivite contexts. Tulsi wood belongs to Vaishnava practice. Sandalwood is valued for its scent. Stone malas — rose quartz, amethyst, lapis — are largely a modern preference. These associations are cultural and devotional; a bead does not act on the body, and anyone claiming health effects for a material has left the tradition's own claims behind as well as the evidence.
How it is used
Hold the mala in the right hand, draped over the middle finger, and move one bead per repetition with the thumb, keeping the index finger off the beads. At the head bead, turn the mala and work back rather than crossing it — a mark of respect and a simple way of counting rounds.
Care
Keep it somewhere clean and reasonably private, and restring it when the cord frays. Many practitioners reserve a mala for one mantra, though nothing forbids using it for several. Wearing a mala as jewellery is common; traditional practitioners often keep a practice mala separate, out of care rather than prohibition.
Where this is practised here
Questions people ask
+ Why do malas have 108 beads?
+ Which hand should hold a mala?
+ Does the bead material change the practice?
References
- Swami Sivananda, "Japa Yoga" (Divine Life Society).
- Shiva Purana, sections on rudraksha (a devotional, traditional source).
Educational content, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting new practices if you have a health condition or are pregnant.