Learning to Meditate

A quick search on 'learning to meditate' came up with so many sites where you pay them a little bit of money and they will send a book or cd on how to meditate that it made me want to meditate to calm myself down a bit. There are various religions and forms of spirituality who use meditation as a key component. Meditation is important in both Buddhism and Hinduism. Meditation is used in yoga and some forms of it are used in Tai Chi and Qigong as well. Simply slowing down, and listening to your breath, is a simple way of beginning to meditate for the novice. There are also various forms of pranayama, or focusing on the breath, that are used in yoga and provide the foundation for a good meditation practice. It is a little known thing about yoga that the primary purpose for the physical part of yoga is to get your body into a relaxed state for meditation. When our bodies are comfortable and free from pain, it allows us to focus on our meditation, rather than thinking, "ooh, my hip hurts, I have a pain in my knee," etc. I wrote a pretty good article (if I say so myself) on Buddhist meditation that can be found on Bodhi Seed Prayer Beads.

And there is always more that I want to add. It is important to remember before meditating that you should do something to help your body limber up a bit. You can also meditate in a chair, especially if it is very uncomfortable for you to sit on the ground. Also if your mind wanders, you should gently bring your mind back to task rather than berating yourself for forgetting to concentrate. Meditating should be a small gift that you are giving yourself. The time to relax and try to free your mind from your everyday worries.

The benefits of meditation are great. Meditation can increase blood flow and slow down the heart rate. It enhances weight loss and increases energy. Meditation can also help with your concentration and focus in all aspects of life.

Prayer Beads are great for meditation because they give your mind something to focus on while you meditate. You can use a mantra with the prayer beads as you pass over each bead. And this doesn't have to be rigid. You could use a Buddhist or Hindu mantra, or you could just say a small prayer for someone in your life, or give yourself an affirmation as you use the prayer beads. You can also focus on your breath, focus on a mudra (a yogic hand position), focus on something you want to come true, or focus on a mandala or another sacred object. There are also forms of walking meditations and much more. It's important that you take some time for yourself, and meditation is a great way to do it!

Make your own Prayer Beads

While many of our customers enjoy purchasing prayer beads that are already made and wearing them, some practitioners like to purchase the beads instead and make their own prayer beads. For instructions on how to make your own prayer beads, please check out our article, How to make Prayer Beads.

Bodhi Seed Prayer Beads offers many different types of beads and accent beads to make your own mala. Accent beads can be used as spacer beads, to help you keep track of where you are in your rotation, or as guru beads, that help you keep track of how many times you have gone around the mala. Another popular item when you are making a mala are counter beads, in our prayer beads accessories section.

Here are some examples of our loose beads...

Turquoise and Coral Bead

This bead is made from turquoise, coral, and the metal is copper. This bead is 18 mm wide and it was handmade in Nepal. This is a beautiful and popular bead.



Rudraksha Seed Bead

This bead is very popular to use for the majority of the beads on the mala. Rudraksha seeds are very coarse to the touch, and these beads are 7 mm wide. Rudraksha seeds are very popular material for making malas.



And here is an example of our mala counters...

Leather and Copper Dorje Mala Counter
This mala counter is made from leather, and the dorje and the beads are made from copper and other metals. This mala counter was handmade in Nepal.



Making your own prayer beads helps make your mala personalized and special to you, and this in turn can enhance your meditation experience.