CALM DOWN.

Now that I've talked you into wanting one, you must understand that this is not a simple bracelet.  My malas truly are beautiful and can be worn every day, but they are not jewelry.  They are meditation beads, and I make them following a 3000 year old tradition, 
 
Here’s my process:
 
First, I interview the wearer (or I interview the person giving the mala as a gift about the recipient) to find out their intentions for the mala. I find that one primary intention and two secondary intentions work best (grief, self-worth, confidence, healing from a health issue, focus, spiritual connection, etc). I also have a sort of weird process for sizing these bc I make them the traditional way without elastic or clasps, so I send you a video for how to get the perfect measurement (nope- it’s not the wrist). Once I have everything, I do a meditation on the recipient and their intentions, and that is how I select the beads, the thread colors and the tassel color.   
 
I spend 7 hours on each mala as these are something that the person will have for a long time, and the whole thing is an experience more than just a “thing”.  
 
I then Reiki cleanse my workspace before I make the mala, and I have already Reiki cleansed all the beads whenever I receive a shipment- same with thread and findings. I lay out the thread and beads and embroidery floss for the mala, and I design it. Then I do a walking meditation in nature to come up with the Sanskrit mantra for the person based on what their intentions are.
 
When I finally sit down to make the mala, the beading itself doesn’t take too long- about 75 minutes. Once I cut the cord, I do not get up until the beading is done. Knots are tied between each bead representing the struggles we have in life amidst the beauty, and I repeat the mantra with every knot I tie, and I do it so that the total number of knots is divisible by 3, a very spiritual number. 
 
Then I break it in, and I do another walking meditation, reciting the mantra on the new mala.
 
After that, I spend 5 minutes giving Reiki to it to cleanse any negative energy from the the past and protect it from any negative energy that touches it in the future. I also cleanse the mala with frankincense, water, sound, and sometimes moon light if there’s a full moon! I am such a believer in using everything available on earth to make life on earth better. 
 
My packaging is quite beautiful, and upon opening, it feels like a wonderful piece of magic has been released. I include a dram of an essential oil that will support the recipient’s intentions to be used during meditation -one bead is always lava or wood so it can diffuse the oil. 
 
So I have all of these little things I do and I then include a personalized guide to their unique just-for-them mala that breaks down why I chose the beads and the colors of thread and the mantra, how everything pertains to their intentions, as well as the 3000 yr history of the mala, how to meditate with it, how to care for it, etc.  I also include some Spotify playlists to help the wearer in starting (or deepening) their meditation practice, and sometimes their is a little something from my nature walks if I find something special- a perfect shell, a feather, a beautiful leaf, etc. 
 
I’m convinced that all this love and intention has transmuted these beads and string into really wonderful meditation tools.  Making these is my favorite thing. The people that have received them so far have really loved them, but they are expensive and I have a waiting list.
 
This is a BEAUTIFUL gift for anyone who is into (or getting into) meditation or a mindfulness practice.