We do japa meditation to calm our mind, inspire divine reflection and to bring us back into ourselves. It is a beautiful, simple but profoundly deep spiritual practice that you can do anywhere. Here is the deal on JAPA.

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1. Pick your mantra (the word or affirmation you want to recite along your mala beads). Your mantra is the word that rings true to your soul right now. Right now our Tiny Devotions mantra is one simple word: create

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{Create beautiful things to bring you deeper into yourself, create beautiful art to guide you on your journey, create a beautiful company culture, create more peace in the world, more harmony, more depth, more expression. Create}

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2. Grab a set of mala beads. We recommend picking a mala that really lights you up - whether you are drawn to the mystical healing stories of rudraksha or meditative calming energy or sandalwood or rosewood. You should feel a personal connection to your mala(s) and its intention and gemstones.

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3. Pick your position. You don't need to meditate in the stereotypical full lotus position (though this might be just perfect for you too). Find a place that grounds and comforts you. Whether it is outside under a tree with your legs stretched out wide, on your couch with a cozy blanket covering your legs, on your floor, in the familiarity of your bedroom or (insert your favourite place).

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We also knew a lovely yogi who would walk around his neighbourhood every day doing japa meditation. Do what feels right.

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4. There are 108 beads on a mala - this is a sacred number that is believed to have a lot of healing, mystical and spiritual significance. Go around the mala touching each bead one by one and reciting your mantra. There is much debate about what fingers to use but our take is that you should do what makes you feel comfortable and natural. When you complete your mantra on the 108th bead you should pause at the guru stones (often the larger 109th stone) on your mala and take a moment to reflect gratitude on your teachers and the journey you have walked so far. You can repeat going the opposite way around the mala until you feel like japa meditation is complete.

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Om. Create. create. create. create. create. create. create.

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Lots of love from tinydevotions.com