Use a rosary of meditation beads if you practice a school of meditation that involves the repetition of a mantra. Advance one bead per repetition of your mantra, and continue in reverse when you reach the point you started from if you want to keep going.Beads not only help us count our prayers or mantras; they also give us something to do with our hands. Personally, I find the use of a rosary (or mala) helps minimize distractions. Here are some sources:
Anglican and Lutheran rosaries
Buddhist malas
Baha'i prayer beads
Orthodox prayer ropes
Goddess rosaries
Catholic rosaries
Worry beads
Finger rosaries (I love these!)
Islamic prayer beads
Thanks for the encouragement and the links. You're a good resource, Ellie!
ReplyDeleteDear Ellie, I have made Anglican Rosaries for years now and given them to friends and family. I create my own chain with 11/0 seed beads as I string them and I find it to be very calming and peaceful, because I pray on each little bead as I string it. Often I do this when I am in the middle of some crisis. For example, when a friend's daughter was in the hospital having a breast biopsy, part of my day was devoted to running laps and praying for her as I ran and then coming home and stringing Rosaries with prayers for her and her family on each of the beads. I find this to be very helpful in my prayer life.
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