Bhāva is a Sanskrit word meaning being, becoming, origin, attitude or devotion.
Our Story
“Focus can be challenging in meditation. Mantra or affirmation as well as Mala and crystals, make the practice more accessible and enjoyable.”
Bhāva Beads was founded by Tom Wilson-Leonard and his mother Rita Wilson in 2019. Tom discovered the art of Mala during teacher training in Rishikesh, India. An international yoga teacher and photographer, he has always been drawn to the beauty of Mala. It wasn’t until a few years later that Tom began to directly experience and understand the power of Mala for meditation.
Having always struggled with a meditation practice, Tom found the use of Mala helped immensely to anchor into the present moment and provide a point of focus through affirmation, working with neural pathways and belief systems.
Tom decided to look into making his own Mala, turning to his mother for guidance and support. Rita, with over 50 years experience knitting and crocheting, has a knack for small detailing and craft which require repetition and patience. Combining Tom’s heartfelt eye for design and interest in the knowledge of stones and traditions, with Rita’s newly acquired skills for creating traditional Tibetan Mala, Bhāva Beads was born.
“Crystals, Mala and meditation can be used separately for wellbeing practices. Together, however, enhances the experience, amplifies the benefits, and makes the practice more powerful.”
Why Use Mala?
Mala are designed to enhance and empower your meditation practice. Meditating with Mala is proven to improve concentration and promote wellbeing, especially when working with affirmation and mantra.
Is there a quality you’d like to invite more of into your life? Perhaps some aspect of yourself you’d like to strengthen? Your Mala can be used as a tool to fortify this, through the use of mantra and affirmations. Reflecting on a meaningful intention, or silently reciting your affirmation, helps to develop this within you.
Wearing the Mala acts as a form of energetic and spiritual protection as well as strengthening its purpose and meaning to you. It can be worn as a neck garland or wrapped around as a bracelet. Bond with it, connecting back in with your intention, and strengthen its power by wearing it for long periods of time, or whenever you need to draw on its properties.
You can use every bead to focus your awareness on the breath, inhaling and exhaling per bead, working your way all around the Mala.
How to use Mala?
Choose a spot and sit comfortably with your spine straight and your eyes closed. Take a few deep breaths to centre and align yourself with your intention.
If you have one, use a mantra for this practice, chanting aloud or silently. You can also just simply use your breath if you would rather not use a mantra.
Hold your mala in your right hand, draped between your middle and index fingers. Starting at the Guru bead, use your thumb to count each smaller bead, pulling it toward you as you recite your mantra. The Guru bead is used as a place marker for the fingers to feel for the end or the beginning of the necklace for meditation or mantra chanting.
Do this 108 times, traveling around the Mala, until you once again reach the Guru bead. If you want to continue the meditation, instead of passing over the Guru bead, simply reverse direction and begin again.
You can also simply meditate with your Mala holding it in your hands. Keeping the Mala in contact with your body whilst you meditate will help make the most of the holistic properties of the stones.
How are Mala made?
Bhāva Beads are crafted using the authentic Tibetan method. Traditional Mala are lovingly made by hand, rather than mass produced. Bhāva’s semi-precious stones and wooden beads have been especially chosen for their properties. Discover more about the properties and energetic influences of Bhāva stones here.
The hand-made process in this traditional style allows the individual tying and threading of each knot and each bead to be imbued with the Mala’s own unique mantra. 108 beads are individually threaded with a conscious intention, and every knot is tied in mantra to empower the Mala with a spiritual seal.
108 is considered to be a spiritual number in Vedic culture. The ancient mathematicians saw the number 108 as the wholeness of existence. A scientific example is that the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth, and the distance from Earth to the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Sun. By chanting a mantra 108 times, we are aligning ourselves with the will of the Universe and its creative energy. Relating to the human body, there are 108 nadis (energy lines) running from the heart chakra.
The ‘Guru bead’ at the tail of the Mala allows you to find your way in your Mala meditation process. It is slightly larger than the rest of the beads, and represents the earth of the Mala - the tassel represents the root.
The last knot connecting and finalising the Mala is tied 3 times to represent unity: once for the left side representing the female; again for the right side representing the male; and finally, uniting them together.
We use cotton and silk blended for the Mala thread and 100% pure silk for the tassel. To create the tassel we wrap the silk 300 times and cut in half to create 600 strands. The cutting of the tassel represents the purification of the Mala, cutting through the darkness. The tassel can be trimmed to the length you would like it.
The knots are sealed by the mantra Om Sahaee Hoa to add protection which translates as I am protected in my Creation, I am taken care of by Truth. It is originally from a holy scripture known as Siri Guru Granth Sahib which contains divine text and poetry written by enlightened gurus and saints of ancient philosophies spanning Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism.
Looking after your Mala
Look after the Mala and treat it with respect. Mala necklaces are comprised of gemstones with particular properties depending on your intention. Cleanse the stones to reset their energy.
Place your Mala near any type of quartz crystal. Quartz is a natural energy cleanser of all other gemstones.
Cleanse your Mala with Sage or Palo Santo. You can do this by hanging your Mala and allowing the smoke to rise around the beads
Hang your Mala, or place it inside a jewellery box or silk bag. Give it a home, perhaps near an altar in your room or near where you choose to meditate.
Silk tassels can become knotted and fluffy. To restore, simply dampen with water and gently comb the tassel out. Ensure you have a tight hold at the top of the tassel as you comb, then leave to dry flat inside a book.