Meditation Quick Start
“As a life coach, what is one thing you recommend?” It was a great question coming from a young medical tech who assisted my appointment.
My answer: “Meditate.”
I think she was expecting something more concrete because then she told me that she makes her bed every morning and it sets her up for a great day. But I hope she took my suggestion to heart, because meditation will absolutely improve the quality of her life (less stress, more chill) if she can make it a regular practice.
But that’s the hard part, making it a regular practice. First, it’s hard to start meditating if you’ve never done it before. Then it can be hard to keep it going. So let’s take an easy method and see if we can get some traction.
The Tools
By far one of the easiest ways to start meditating is to use mālā and mantra. Originating in India, both of these tools tell your mind where to be while meditating. Some quick explanations…
Mālā is a Sanskrit word that means ‘garland’, like a garland of flowers. But a mālā is a garland of beads. Traditional mālās have 108 beads, with an extra 109th bead as an anchor. The beads help the meditator repeat a mantra 108 times. 108 is a sacred number in the yogic traditions.
Mantra is a Sanskrit word that you may have heard. The man- in mantra goes to the word manas which means both ‘mind’ and ‘heart’. Tra has meaning along the lines of ‘technology’ and ‘transverse’. So mantra has something to do with being technology that transverse the distance between mind and heart.
Of course, there is a lot more to both mālā and mantra than those simple definitions, but they get us started.
Quick Start
Meditation with mālā and mantra is very simple.
Starting just to the side of the anchor bead, hold one bead of the mālā and recite the mantra.
Then move your hand to the next bead on the strand and repeat the mantra again.
Move your hand along the garland until you’ve said the mantra with every bead.
Stop when you get back to the anchor bead at the end.
If mālā and mantra seem familiar, they probably are. The Crusaders of the Middle Ages brought this tradition back with them and transformed it into the rosary that is still a part of Catholicism today.
Why it Works
This works especially well for beginners (and dedicated meditators) because it gives you something to touch and do by holding the beads. It gives your mind somewhere very specific to be by directing it to both the beads and the mantra. And when you recite out loud you both make the sounds and hear them.
All of that it makes it so much easier to notice when your mind inevitably wanders. And it’s so clear what to come back to when you lose your focus for a moment. It also is easy to know when to start and when to stop.
Pick a Mālā
Obviously if you’re gonna use mantra and mālā to meditate you’re gonna need both.
Mālā is a sacred too. But you can find a mālā pretty easily. They are sold in bead stores, yoga studios, metaphysical shops, and on the internet. They can be made simply with wooden or seed beads. Or they can be exquisite, including semi-precious stones their design. It’s really personal preference when it comes to choosing your mālā.
If you’d like, you could even make your mālā. There are plenty of instructions on the internet. If you make it, I recommend creating a sacred space around your mālā-making. If you know the mantra you will use, repeat your mantra as you make the mālā to infuse the beads with the power of the mantra.
Whether you buy it or make it, I recommend that you dedicate your mālā to a single mantra. That way the energy that collects from your practice is clear and specific.
Remember, true mālā is a sacred tool not an accessory. That doesn’t mean you can’t wear it. It’s strung as a necklace specifically so that you can carry it with you. But if you’re wearing it, consider where, why, and when. I wear my mālā only into sacred spaces where I will draw on the support of the mantra. Or I wear my mālā on days when I am committed to practicing it several times and in several places throughout the day.
Pick a Mantra
When it comes to mantra things get even trickier. Sanskrit mantra is vibrational and mystical. It carries a potent and specific energy signature. The words have been recited for hundreds or thousands of years so now their energy is carried within the mantra. Traditionally, one would receive a mantra from one’s teacher. In some initiations the mantra would be secretly whispered in your ear and was not to be shared.
Approaching traditional mantra should be done with the utmost respect and care. Many mantras are guarded and are not to be chanted without permission. This is out of a great care and respect for the energy they carry. I personally believe this, and would not chant a guarded mantra without the guidance and supervision of a respected teacher.
There are, however, Sanskrit mantras granted to Westerners by generous teachers that I would feel comfortable practicing. If you’ve practiced yoga with me you’ll already know two: OM, and śantih, śantih śantih.
Om, as the primordial sound of the universe, is the primordial sound of you and all beings. Repeating that sacred syllable reconnects you with the heartbeat of the Universe. And śantih (shanti) is a call for Peace. Could we all not use more peace today? Both mantras are simple yet profoundly effective. They could even be combined: Om shanti shanti shanti is a beautiful way to start or end your day.
If all of this talk of tradition, vibration, and prohibition makes you a little squeamish, no worries. You could just as easily recite something else.
You can absolutely repeat a prayer that you know or a phrase in English such as: “May all beings have freedom” or “Let there be peace”. The idea isn’t to get caught in saying exactly the right thing in the right way. The idea is to repeat something that opens your heart and softens your mind.
If you’re having trouble choosing a mantra, just reach out. I’d be happy to help you.
The Power of Meditation
The reason I told the medical tech to meditate is because I believe it is the most profoundly transformative practice that humans have ever experienced. The science proves all the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of meditation. And you can absolutely stop there if you want.
But this practice holds so much more for us. It’s the gateway into being able to see your patterns, and to transform them if you choose. It is a way to live a more present and connected life. It teaches us how to pay attention without working too hard. Over time, meditation soften us, steadies, us and makes us more available to the fullness of life. All of which transform our relationships with ourselves and each other.
Perhaps lost in the shuffle, but most important, meditation is how we remember and reconnect with the deepest Mysteries of the Universe. It shows us over and over who we are on levels that range from the most mundane to the most sublime. Its impact is limitless.
If there’s one practice I hope you do… I hope you’ll meditate. Let me know if you need help getting started.
TOMORROW 10/25/25 - You can practice mantra meditation with a mālā during Together In Love a community ritual I’m co-leading at the Yoga Dojo. You will be gifted a mālā from India, and will be instructed in a simple but powerful mantra to practice. I hope you can join us.