Considered very sacred since these are used to store away your mala from the public eye, mala bags are used to conceal your very own mala while you are doing your japa (mantra recitation).

HealthNYoga.com has two kinds of cotton mala bags: the printed soft cotton mala bag and the saffron (radha-krsna) mala bag.

Using the yoga danda:

A lot of yoga practitioners who undergo japa meditation prefer to support their forearms with the yoga danda. This is done in order for them to practice japa on mala beads but without the discomfort. The yoga danda, in this case, is placed in front of the seated body and the supported hand. The mala then is allowed to freely fall from this position. The result is that the beads are turned for japa.

Learn more about yoga danda!

Here’s an interesting fact that you may not know of: in a perfectly normal and healthy person, the flow in a particular nostril is slightly restricted compared to the flow in the other nostril. This uneven flow between the nostrils is very normal so don’t be alarmed!

However, sometimes a particular nostril gets too restricted and the flow is blocked for the other nostril. This results in a disturbance in your mind-body complex.

Fortunately, there are ways available for you to change the breath flow between your nostrils. A very useful and handy pranayama breathing technique is used to address this.

The tool

The yoga danda or yoga staff is itself an ancient tool or device. A T-shaped wooden staff with roughly 2 feet in height, the yoga dance is usually supported under the armpits and the horizontal member is generally bent in the shape of a “U”. When you use this, the flow in the nostrils can then be regulated well.

How to use

Sit in a meditative posture such as the Padmasana or Siddhasana posture. Keep your spine erect and squat on the floor. Support your chest on the yoga danda and rest your armpit on the U-shaped horizontal member of the tool. The danda should be placed under the side of the open nostril. Do this for a few minutes and you will notice the chance. You will feel the flow of breath easier through the other nostril. Once you already feel that there is good breath flow, then you can remove the stick.

Benefits

The yoga danda offers a very easy and quick way to alter the breath flow between your nostrils. This is really very useful when you want to gain the maximum benefits out of the pranayama breathing techniques as well as alternative nostril breathing techniques such as the nadi shodhana pranayama.

Using the yoga danda for japa meditation

While some practitioners of japa meditation rely on mala beads and by doing so they bend their arms so that their hands are placed towards the heart while the bead is turning, some practitioners prefer to support their forearms on the yoga danda so that they can practice without the discomfort or awkwardness. In the latter, the yoga danda is placed in front of the seated body. The hand supported on it is also on the front. The ala then is allowed to freely fall from this slightly raised position.