Reciting a mantra is simply repeating a positive affirmation out loud, in a whisper, or silently, visualizing and holding your intention while reciting. This meditation turns your mind away from your current preoccupations and establishes positive thought patterns.

Repeating a single sound, word, or phrase focuses your attention and  calms your mind.

Mantra meditation doesn’t require using a mala but the mala is used to bring an other level of consciousness to your practice. In addition to the external and the internal sound of the mantra you can concentrate your mind on the feeling of the beads that you have to touch and pull one by one.

This process helps you to focus your attention and to withdraw your senses to the ultimate goal of your meditation: the pure consciousness. 

To begin your meditation, hold your mala in your right hand above the waist level. Then, place the mala between your middle and ring fingers. Starting at the guru bead, use your thumb to count each bead, pulling it toward you as you recite your mantra.

Repeat this 108 times, one bead at the time, until you once again reach the guru bead. When you reach the guru bead, don’t cross it but turn the mala around so that the next round of counting begins with the 108th bead.

At the end of your meditation, feel the peace of your purified mind on the level of your physical sensations, your emotions and your thoughts.