How to Use a Jaap Mala: A Beginner's Guide to Mantra & Meditation | Rosado Gems

If you've just picked up your first jaap mala, the string of beads in your hand is older than almost any other spiritual tool still in daily use. Malas have carried mantra practice across India for centuries, and the way they're used today hasn't changed much from how they were used then — because the design was already right. Here's how to actually use yours.

What Is a Jaap Mala?

A jaap mala (also spelled japa mala) is a string of 108 beads used to count mantra repetitions during meditation or prayer. "Jaap" refers to the practice of repeating a mantra; the mala is simply the tool that keeps count so your mind doesn't have to.

Traditionally strung from natural gemstones, rudraksha seeds, or sandalwood, each mala closes with one additional bead — larger than the rest — called the guru bead. That's the 109th bead, and it plays a very specific role we'll get to below.

Why 108 Beads?

The number 108 shows up across Vedic, Buddhist, and yogic traditions, and there are a few explanations for why — astronomical (108 is close to the ratio of the distance between the Earth and the Sun to the Sun's diameter), mathematical (108 = 1, 0, 8, numbers considered significant in Sanskrit numerology), and practical (it's simply a number large enough to sustain a meaningful meditation session without losing count). Whichever explanation resonates with you, the effect is the same: 108 repetitions is enough to move a mantra from something you're saying to something you're settling into.

How to Hold Your Mala

1. Drape the mala over the middle finger of your right hand, letting it rest in the groove between your middle finger and palm.

2. Use your thumb to draw each bead toward you, one at a time, with each repetition of your mantra or breath.

3. Avoid using your index finger — in most traditions, the index finger represents ego, and touching the mala with it is considered a distraction from the practice.

Counting a Round

Start on the bead just after the guru bead and move around the loop in one direction. Each bead marks one repetition. When you arrive back at the guru bead, you've completed a full round of 108.

Traditionally, you never cross the guru bead. If you want to continue for another round, pause at the guru bead, take a breath, and reverse the direction of the mala in your hand before continuing. This small pause is intentional — it's a built-in moment of stillness between rounds, not just a technicality.

Pairing the Mala With Breath or Mantra

You don't need a formal mantra to use a mala meaningfully. Some simple approaches if you're starting out:

• A single word or phrase, repeated with each bead — "peace," "I am enough," or a mantra from a tradition you follow (such as Om or a specific Sanskrit mantra).

• Breath counting — one bead per inhale-exhale cycle, using the mala purely as a focus point for breathwork.

• Gratitude practice — naming one thing you're grateful for with each bead, cycling through as many rounds as feels right.

There's no single correct way to use a mala beyond the counting mechanics — the mantra or intention is yours to choose.

Before You Begin: Cleansing Your Mala

New malas carry the energy of everywhere they've been before reaching you. Before your first use, cleanse it: place the beads in a small bowl and cover them in dry rock salt for a few hours, then gently brush the salt away. No water needed — this keeps the natural stones intact and resets the mala as yours.

Wearing It Beyond Meditation

Many people wear their mala through the day — around the neck or wrapped at the wrist — as a quiet touchstone, not just during formal practice. If your mala has a lava rock guru bead, this also means the scent of any essential oil you've added travels with you. (More on that in our companion post, Why Your Mala's Guru Bead Matters.)

Getting Started

If you're choosing your first mala, the easiest starting point is by element or intuition rather than overthinking it — pick the stone that draws your attention first. Our Gem Poetry collection maps each mala to one of five elemental energies — Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Ether — so you can choose based on what you're looking to bring into your practice, whether that's grounding, clarity, or calm.

Rosado Gems malas are hand-strung with natural 6mm gemstone beads and an 8mm lava rock guru bead, finished with a cotton tassel and delivered in a silk pouch. Shop the Gem Poetry Jaap Mala collection →