To begin using your mala beads as a meditation tool, start by sitting in a quiet place with your mala and deciding on a 'mantra' (a mantra is a word or series of sounds that is repeated to aid in concentration).  Your mantra can be as simple as 'peace' or as complex as a chant you're drawn to. 

Next, drape the mala over the middle finger and then pull one stone at a time with the first finger towards the heart, making your way around the mala back to the 'guru bead' (the larger stone down by the tassel).

Meditation takes patience and time, so if your mind wanders, simply pull your attention back to the mantra and the grounding weight of your mala beads.

There are 108 beads in a traditional mala.  Below are just a few of the many reasons that 108 has become a powerful number in science and spirituality:

1. Heart Chakra: The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, 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.

2. 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.

3. Moon and Earth: The average distance of the Moon from the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Moon.

Each crystal carries its own vibration and changes the energy at which WE vibrate.

Crystals, like our bodies, have auras of their own. So when they interact with us, our energies connect and exchange.

Crystal therapy is one of a number of energetic healing techniques that can be used to lift our vibration and enhance our health and vitality.

Weakness and illness result from lack of 'prana' (life force, energy/breath).

Crystal therapy is a way to rebalance the cakras and expand our prana. Much like sound healing, crystals actually change the vibration of our cells.

When crystals have a pointed edge, the point indicates where energy is focused. Round/sphere like crystals indicate continuous energy.

Crystals can help you emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically.

Crystals can help:

1. Attune you to your deeper intuition

2. Add focus to meditation (for guided meditation, leave it in the palm of your hand and let it become connected to you)

3. Clear emotional blockages

4. Cleanse people and spaces (add crystals throughout your house)

5. Stimulate creativity and ideas

1. Utilize full moon energy: Place your mala in a window the night of a full moon or three days after one.

2. Place it on the earth: Put your mala in a garden, back yard, or take it to the beach or mountains to reconnect it with its source.

3. Sound healing: Lay it next to a crystal or Tibetan sound bowl.