If you ever felt like you just couldn’t make your mind still enough to meditate without being guided, this article is for you. That is how I felt for years… barely able to sit still, much less clear my mind to start a meditation practice.

I started taking yoga, and found how at the end of a class, during Shavasana, my mind was finally clear and meditation happened. It was incredible!! How could I get this outside of a yoga class?

I have taken countless classes with other healers, in groups and privately.. one day I met with my private teacher and she announced we would meditate with mala beads… I remember thinking, this was going to be rough.

But it wasn’t hard! It worked. I found a way to clear my mind and meditate, finally! And, I love it.  It has led to other ways of meditating for me, since the practice of meditation is cumulative and the more you do it, the better you get at it. I don’t need my mala beads to meditate but I still use them. You can see my rose quartz mala beads in this Instagram post, if you would like, they are beautiful!

For a chant, you can use something simple like “Om”, “Together” (this is a Switchword, which I will be writing about next week), or “Shanti” which means Peace. I have written some I use below.

Mala beads are string of 108 (or 1/4 string of 27, or 1/2 string of 54) beads with a center guru bead or tassel. For the purposes of this article, I am talking about using one with 108 beads, but if you have a half or fourth beads, you just know you have to do it 108 times, without crossing over the guru bead. So recount last bead and reverse your order until 108 is done.

How to chant & meditate with mala beads in 5 Steps:

1. Sit somewhere comfortably, with eyes closed and back straight and take a few deep breaths, while thinking about what you want to manifest, or what your intention is.
2. Example: something as simple as “joy”, “peace”, “heart’s desire”
3. Hold your mala beads in your right hand and starting with a bead next to the guru bead (largest bead or decoration), place it in your fingers with just thumb and middle finger.
4. Say mantra and move on to the next bead until you get back to the guru bead but – don’t cross over – if you plan to say another mantra, start again with the last bead and go the opposite way.
5. I like to say “om” with guru bead at the end. Then, sit quietly – this will be the time you may get messages or feel a silence within – meditation. If you don’t, the beads and chanting in itself will calm you and center you just as any meditation would. But still give stillness at the end a chance. Something may happen.

Here are some I do, with proper intentions of what I want:

1. Om Gum Ganapataye Namaha – to Ganesh, Hinduism’s Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles
2. Om Maha Lakshmi Namaha – to Lakshmi, Hinduism’s Goddess of Prosperity
3. Switchwords – for Prosperity, you can chant “TOGETHER-FIND-DIVINE-COUNT” or just COUNT
4. If I am chanting for prosperity, then I chant “Shreem Brzee” – which is very powerful.

Check out my Guided Meditations I sell to connect you to your Higher Self, Higher Chakras, Elementals, Guides, and more!

Please also subscribe to my Soundcloud and Youtube pages for more mantras to follow along with!

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