How to gift the perfect Mala

July 8, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Do you have someone truly unique in your life? Someone that inspires you? The gal pal that’s been by your side, or yoga instructor that’s encouraged you beyond words. Mala beads are spiritual forget-me-nots, carrying an abundance of vibrations, energy and intention. Choosing for a friend can be overwhelming, but not to worry! We’ve put together a simple way to make choosing easy and fun.

Gifting-The-Perfect-Mala-How-To-Tiny-Devotions-108

Intention
Let’s first focus on the basics of your gal pal in mind.

  • Is she into yoga?
  • Is she a mama?
  • Does she live a fast and crazy life, or travel to find her next great adventure?

Knowing the answers to these questions and similar ones will help you to determine how she will use her new mala beads.

Looking at her lifestyle will help begin to narrow your focus. Try to find a mala that is in line with what your friends intentions are.

Energy
Mala beads help us to hone in on what is important in our lives, right now.

  • What’s she got going on in her life right now?
  • Has she just landed a great new promotion at her job?
  • About to embark on a journey?
  • Becoming a mother?

Perhaps she’s looking for a new beginning. What is your friend trying to manifest? Reflect on some conversations you’ve had in private, where she might have mentioned an area of her life she’s been struggling with, or is simply trying to improve.

Gemstones emit their own unique vibration and healing energies and are to be worn near the chakras, which are the energy centers of the body. Find a gemstone that is believed to carry an energy which aligns with her intentions.

Intuition
The most important aspect of picking a mala for your gal pal is to follow your intuition. You know her best! Keep her in mind as you look through your options.

  • Which pieces speak to you?
  • Which ones remind you of her?

Reflect upon her energy, her lifestyle and her intention. If you need any additional help contact someone from our team for some further info. Each mala necklace, mala ring and stack is lovingly wrapped and shipped in a beautifully printed intentional box to hold your piece in. We’ll even include a little love note if you request. Happy shopping + happy manifesting!

Remember, it’s coming from you with heart, inspiration and connection. She’ll be sure to love the story behind your choice as she adores her new precious gem (just as much as she adores you).

Gifting-The-Perfect-Mala-How-To-Tiny-Devotions-108-2

Filed Under: Boho Girl, How - To, Intention, Intentional Living, Mala Beads, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Choose a Mala

June 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment

How-To-Choose-A-Mala-2

More than just accessories, Mala beads are meditation tools that have been used for thousands of years. They encourage us to pause, breathe and realign with our deepest intentions. They motivate us to invest in moments of self-care and compassion. They’re our spiritual forget-me-nots, and they’re also beautiful. One of the questions we get asked most is “How do I choose a Mala?”. Choosing by intention is a great way to get started, there are other factors you should also consider when choosing a Mala.

Intention

Hold the vision and trust the process. This is the most personal part of the process. What do you want to create in your life? What are you working on? What do you truly desire? What are you struggling with? Ask yourself these questions and see if they guide to what you want to create as your intention. Once you get clear on what you want your intention to be, you will create a clear path. Intentions are all about you + what you want to achieve in your life!

Beauty

Things that you are attracted to are an integral part of your healing process. Whether it be a beautiful landscape, a cute animal or a gorgeous mala; stop and take a moment to observe the things you find beautiful. Develop your own personal aesthetic. Meditate on this and strive to see beauty in everything. Surrounding yourself with beautiful and uplifting things is very powerful. Reflect on the power that beauty has over our attention; when something is so aesthetically pleasing it takes over your consciousness and moves you to a new place.

Color

What is your favourite color, and what colors are you typically drawn to? What colors of clothing do you wear most often? What colour are your favourite foods and scents? Life is full of color, and like other things on your spiritual path it has meaning. You want to choose a mala that you will use and wear often, so it’s important to choose a stone color combination that you are drawn to and can see being a staple in your wardrobe.

Shape

Find a Mala guru stone with a shape you connect with. Some Gurus stones are circular, teardrop, or oval shaped. Others have a raw edge. Ever heard of sacred geometry? The strands of our DNA, the galaxy we spiral within, the air we breathe, and all life forms as we know them emerge out of timeless geometric codes.

How-To-Choose-A-Mala

Energy

Each gemstone that we use in our Malas are believed to emit their own special vibration + healing energy. There are gemstones for every mood, trouble or desire you can imagine. Gemstones are to be worn near the chakras, which are energy centres of the body. Make sure that this energy aligns with your intention! A lot of Malas will assist everyone on some level – see if you can find something that you connect with individually.

Intuition

When in doubt, trust your vibes! Which Mala were you originally drawn to? Which mala do you keep thinking about? Which one jumps off of the page? This is most likely the perfect mala for you! The more you trust your intuition, the stronger it gets. Choosing a mala is a combination of all of these factors – most importantly follow your intuition and follow your heart.

Timing

What’s going on in your life right now? Maybe you’ve just come out of a breakup and could use a reminder of self-love. Maybe you’ve just left your office job to pursue your career as a yoga teacher and you’re seeking the confidence to push forward in the direction of your dreams. There’s a Mala for that! Our Malas are created and named with the combination of properties within each gemstone in mind to best help guide you in your life journey – whatever that might be!

Filed Under: Inspiration, Intention, Intentional Living, Mala Beads, Style Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why 108?

October 20, 2014 By Leave a Comment

10707013_924351350912559_1751746405_nEver done 108 sun salutations during a yoga class? Or wondered why there are traditionally 108 beads on a mala?The number 108 is auspicious and spiritually significant in many traditions. Here’s a few reasons why the number is so magical…

Heart Chakra: Chakras are the intersections of energy lines in the body, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to self-realization.

Upanishads: It is believed that there are 108 Upanishads, texts of wisdom from the ancient sages.

Desires: There are said to 108 earthly desires.

Time: Some say there are 108 feelings, 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and the 36 related to the future.

Planets and Houses: In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.

Goddess names: There are said to be 108 Indian goddess names.

Sun and Earth: The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. The distance from the Sun to the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun.

Sanskrit alphabet: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.

Chemistry: Interestingly, there are about 115 elements known on the periodic table of the elements. Most of those, around or higher than the number 100 only exist in the laboratory, and some for only thousandths of a second. The number that naturally exist on Earth is around 100.

Astrology: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.

Breath: Tantra estimates the average number of breaths per day at 21,600, of which 10,800 are solar energy, and 10,800 are lunar energy. Multiplying 108 by 100 is 10,800. Multiplying 2 x 10,800 equals 21,600.

 

Filed Under: Yoga + Spirit Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Confessions from a Boho Fashionista: Mala Break-Throughs

April 4, 2014 By 2 Comments

TDbohodailyEvery gypsy goddess, yoga fashionista and boho gal who wears a gemstone Mala knows how magical they are. Maybe you didn’t fall in love with them the first time someone told you about the 108 stoned treasures, but when you finally laid eyes on the unique beaded jewels, you knew you had to have one. They weren’t just a beautiful statement piece that enhanced your oh-so-natural stunning appearance; they helped bring out your inner beauty by pulling you back to all of the important intentions you set everyday.

I fell in love with the first Mala I adorned myself with. The African Jade Mala. It was gifted to me by a yoga teacher of mine right before I set out on journey west that would lead me to a series of big, boho girl life lessons. The Mala had a beautiful jade guru stone and dark cacao rudruksha seeds. Right before I left the studio to go West, my teacher told me that this Mala would give me strength in challenging times and the courage to follow my dreams.  I wandered west, as gypsies do, and kept The African Jade Mala close to me.

There were moments when all that I had planned for on my journey had fallen into little tiny pieces, and I wondered how I would ever pick them up again. I’d cross my fingers over the seeds of my Mala and remember my teacher when I looked at the precious jade guru stone. The Mala she’d given me was a reminder that I was always safe, even when it didn’t appear that way.

When my trip in the mountains finally came to a close, and I made it back to the summer humidity of the lake house that I call home, something remarkable happened.  July’s air was thick, and I moved heavy as I straddled bags, yoga gear and gifts to the front door. When I reached the front porch, I heard a gentle snap: 108 small beads and one beautiful jade stone danced in front of me, off of my neck and onto the sand.

“You’ve had a Mala Break Through” My instructor said, as I listened in tears.  “This is fabulous. You know what this means, darling? It means you’ve come to a new chapter! You’ve learned your lessons and you’re ready for what’s coming. Fantastic!”

whitejadeSince my first “Mala Break Through” I’ve had plenty more, and several exciting chapters in my life, each with unique intentions. Today I’m wearing a Jade Mala, but this time the White Jade Highest Potential Mala, because through all of these karmic break throughs and sweet little lessons, I’ve realized that I have bravery of a goddess to reach my highest potential (and you do, too!)

Peace, Love and Magic from Bohemia xx

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Boho Community, Intention, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Ritual can be done anywhere, by anyone, and in any way with Jessica Cartwright

February 17, 2014 By 1 Comment

full_IMG_6179_edited-2Living in Montana provides a constant source of inspiration. There is so much natural beauty and an abundance of healthy, heart centered energy. It’s a wondrous thing to wake up every day in what the natives called the Valley of the Flowers. I feel immensely grateful to live here and do what I love – teach yoga, energy heal, get lost in nature, and inspire others.

Another beautiful gift that Montana has given me is the importance of ritual. Ritual is grounding and gives us purpose. It’s what our ancestors did on a regular basis and allows us to feel connected to this earth and our place here within it.

Ritual can be done anywhere, by anyone, and in any way.

When I hiked Machu Picchu last year I turned it into a spiritual journey. I used my malas to set an intention with every step. I ran the beads through my fingers and honored a loved one, said a healing affirmation, and charged them with love and purpose through every step.

MountainSplitNow it’s a ritual to use my malas in meditation when I need recharging; to cleanse them along with my crystals on the full moon; to practice 108 sun salutations at the change of every season; to place them on the top of my mat during my yoga practice.

 Breaking away from technology and connecting in a more meaningful way, through ritual, is a blessing. It allows us to hear the whispers of our ancestors as we ease into the groundedness of feeling earthly, relishing the seasons, and delighting in being human.

I love the Devotion mala for this reason; it reminds me of my devotion to ritual and to the purpose we all have in this life. It also reminds me of my devotion to the dreamworld, to spirit work, to the seasons, to my ancestors, to the land where I live, to my relationship with my self, and to the source of connection that lies within us all, at our heart centers.

MachuHeadstand Let creating ritual be fun! Just like the excitement that comes from picking out the perfect mala for you, exploring meaningful rituals in your life will feel freeing, empowering, and invigorate you! Ideas are to smudge your house, pat your buddha, carry crystals with you, celebrate the full moon, all of it works. Go with what feels good!

In my opinion ritual is anything that you come back to regularly, that steps you out of your normal routine (habit) and provides a feeling of meaning, purpose, and connection. So look for inspiration and get creative in how to bring ritual into your life. It’s sort of like deepening our roots so that our branches can grow even further.

Your malas are your best ally in bringing ritual and intention into your every day. Let them connect you to the ways you want to feel, to the love and groundedness that connects us all, every time you touch, wear, and practice in them!

 

– Jessica Cartwright
VivaMyYoga

Filed Under: Boho Community, Boho Girl, Intention Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Let Love In Mala

February 6, 2014 By Leave a Comment

The month of February reminds us to love all those that surround us. Let love in this month and become accepting to all the love vibrations coming your way!

Shop all our love malas!

LetLoveInMala

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,