Malas: The Loop Of Prayer Beads

Make yourself so happy so that when others look at you they become happy too.Yogi Bhajan

A mala is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Eastern religions for counting recitations of sacred sound or incantation and I have been making them for some time now. Much more than just beautiful adornment, a mala is also a powerful and symbolic tool to enhance and deepen the meditation practice. Every gemstone is said to have different properties, energies, and meaning and as you engage their energy with your prayers, your hopes, and dreams, ultimately the mala becomes what the wearer wants it to be.

Traditionally, a mala consists of 108 beads strung on silk thread, often with counter beads at 27 bead intervals to aid the mantra counting process. At the beginning (or the end) of the loop there is a larger bead, called a Guru bead from which a tassel hangs. Shorter wrist malas with 54, 27 or even 18 beads are also common, these numbers being divisions of 108.

There are many different interpretations behind the significance of the number 108, which has long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism and other Eastern religions. The theory that resonates most with me is the number 1 stands for God, the universe, or your own highest truth; 0 stands for emptiness and humility in spiritual practice; and 8 stands for infinity and timelessness.

Thamsanqa is a given name, from the Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu word meaning ‘blessing(s)‘ ‘fortune’ or ‘luck’.

The gemstone beads used for my beautiful malas 📿 are chosen intuitively for each individual recipient, and energetically infused with a personal mantra during the creative process. All malas 📿 are made with love ❤️ and light ☀️ and the profit is gifted towards empowering township Yogis in South Africa to do the 220 hour Level 1 Kundalini Yoga teacher training course. What a gift!

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Handmade Mala - Fire Agate and Angelite on powder blue thread — Padmani Dharam – 108 Fire Agate and Angelite beads, infused with the mantra Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung

Handmade Mala - Ivory Jade with grey Agate on silver grey thread — Amrit Tejdeep – 108 Ivory Jade and grey Agate beads, infused with the Guru Ram Das chant

Handmade Mala - Stormy Blue Aquamarine and Amazonite on white thread — Nirbhao Priya – 108 Stormy Blue Aquamarine and Amazonite beads, infused with the mantra Har Hare Hari Wahe Guru

Handmade Mala -Natural white Mother of Pearl and Peruvian pink Opal beads on soft pink thread — Kirti Tajpreet – 108 Natural white Mother of Pearl and Peruvian pink Opal beads, infused with the Adi Mantra

Handmade Mala - Amethyst and Maw Sit Sit on green apple thread — Amrit Bani – 108 Amethyst and Maw Sit Sit beads, infused with the Har mantra

Handmade Mala - Yellow and Ivory Jade on white thread with Moon Goddess pendant — Shan’Adrana Jaskaran – 108 Yellow and Ivory Jade beads with Moon Goddess pendant, infused with the 17th Slok of Sukhmani Sahib

Handmade Mala - Kiwi Jasper on mint thread — Prem Chand – 108 Kiwi Jasper beads, infused with the energy of Guru Ram Das mantra

Handmade Mala - Natural variegated Serpentine Jade and matte Black Onyx on black thread — Lakshmi – 108 Natural variegated Serpentine Jade and matte Black Onyx beads, infused with the Gayatri mantra

Handmade Mala - Golden brown Mother of Pearl and ivory Jade on khaki thread — Meher Kirtan – 108 Golden brown Mother of Pearl and ivory Jade beads, infused with the 30th Pauri of the Japji

Handmade Mala - Peruvian Pink Opal with matte Carnelian on crimson thread — Amrit Tejdeep – 108 Peruvian Pink Opal and matte Carnelian beads, infused with the Mangala Charan mantra

Handmade Mala - Red Tourmaline with Garnet on pearl white thread — Dhyan Hargeet – 108 Red Tourmaline and Garnet beads, infused with the Sat Kartar mantra

Handmade Mala - Turquoise Impression Jasper with Sandalwood on ivory thread — Nirankar – 108 Turquoise Impression Jasper and Sandalwood beads, infused with the 25th pauri of the Japji

Handmade Mala - Red Tiger's Eye with matte Onyx on black thread — Dom Ji – 108 Red Tiger’s Eye and matte Onyx beads, infused with the Gayatri Mantra

Handmade Mala - Red Jasper with Sandalwood on ivory thread — Kirtan Padmani – 108 Red Jasper and Sandalwood beads, infused with the Sat Narayan mantra

Handmade Mala - Amethyst and Maw Sit Sit on jade green thread — Shlomit Frieda – 108 Amethyst and Maw Sit Sit beads with a Hamsa Hand pendant, infused with the Hebrew Shulem mantra

Handmade Mala - Blue Aquamarine and Green Aventurine on mint green thread — Siri Livdeep – 108 Aquamarine and Aventurine beads, infused with the Ra Ma Da Sa mantra

Handmade Mala - Natural Botswana Agate and Celestite on white thread — Shanti Bachan – 108 Natural Botswana Agate and Celestite beads, infused with the Guru Ram Das Chant

Handmade Mala - Amethyst, Sandalwood and green Chalcedony on bronze thread — Mama Ji – 108 Amethyst, Sandalwood and green Chalcedony beads, infused with the SaTaNaMa mantra

Handmade Mala - Orange Red Botswana Agate with Sandalwood on ivory thread — Pritam Hari – 108 Orange Red Botswana Agate and Sandalwood beads, infused with the Sat Narayan mantra

Handmade Mala - Garnets with matte Black Onyx on bordeaux thread — Ram Rai – 108 Garnet and matte Black Onyx beads, infused with the Sat Narayan mantra

Handmade Mala - Iced (matte) Rose Quartz and Sandalwood on pink fuchsia thread — Bibi Ji – 108 Iced (matte) Rose Quartz and Sandalwood beads, infused with the Wah Yantee mantra

Handmade Mala - Green Aventurine and Sandalwood on bronze thread — Tej Bachiter – 108 Aventurine and Sandalwood beads, infused with the Sat Narayan mantra

Handmade Mala - Celestite and Angelite on blue steel thread — Tone Ji – 108 Celestite and Angelite beads, infused with the Gayatri mantra

Handmade Mala - Blue Spot Jasper and Red Jasper on blood orange thread — Nav Ajeet – 108 Blue Spot and Red Jasper beads, infused with the Aap Sahai Hoa mantra

Handmade Mala - Red Tigers Eye and African Turquoise on olive green thread — Tej Livtar – 108 Red Tigers Eye and African Turquoise beads, infused with the Aap Sahai Hoa mantra

Handmade Mala - Tibetan Tigers Eye with stainless steel spacers — Seva Qurban – Tibetan Tigers Eye with stainless steel spacers

Handmade Mala - Rhodochrosite and African Turquoise on pink salmon thread — Devi Premjoti – Rhodochrosite and African Turquoise beads, infused with the Aap Sahai Hoa mantra

Handmade Mala - Red Tiger's Eye with Black Onyx — Thamsanqa – African Red Tigers Eye and matte Onyx on chocolate brown thread

Malas recharging in the moonlight — Malas and crystals recharging under the full moon

Handmade Malas - Red Tiger's Eye with Black Onyx and — Thamsanqa’s Malas – African Red Tigers Eye and matte Onyx, and a bracelet with Obsidian and African Turquoise

All malas are made to order and take a minimum of 6 weeks to complete. If you would like to help support teacher training for disadvantaged people of colour in South Africa by ordering a personal mala for yourself, or perhaps as a gift to someone special, please don’t hesitate to contact me 💫
All gemstone beads are finest quality, guaranteed 100% natural and sourced from Texas, USA.

Creation is ready to serve you, if you just be you.Yogi Bhajan

Thamsanqa is a given name, from the Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu word meaning ‘blessing(s)‘ ‘fortune’ or ‘luck’.

malas created