Japa Malas

Japa Malas — 6 pieces in the VIZHEE Malas collection. The general-purpose 108-bead mala used across traditions for silent mantra counting. A japa mala is a string of beads — traditionally 108, plus one Meru or guru bead that is never counted — used to keep count of mantra repetitions across Hindu, Buddhist and yogic practice. The count of 108 recurs in Vedic numerology, the 108 Upanishads and the 108 marma points of yogic anatomy. Counting on a mala lets the mind stay with a mantra's sound and meaning instead of the arithmetic of counting, which many practitioners find helps settle restlessness during a chanting session. The same 108(+1)-bead mala used specifically as a hand-held counting tool during japa — the practice of repeating a mantra.