One Hundred and Eight Breaths

Last week I finished making my own mala with stone beads and other supplies we had at home. For months I had been lusting over beautiful malas from shops like Mama Malas, Mountain Malas, and Soul Loving Jewelry but I, a) couldn't decide on one, and b) couldn't fit it in the shopping budget.  I kept putting it off until my mom was looking for pieces to make some jewelry for a friend and I got the bug to just make my own mala.

I felt a little goofy explaining the significance and purpose of malas, but my mom was really awesome about asking if the materials or colors needed to be specific and let me using her jewlery-making supplies to get it done.  Mom has been pretty supportive of me starting to look into the culture and spiritualism that comes with Hindu yoga practices.  When I mentioned that I wanted to start going to Bhakti yoga at a studio nearby, she said, "Maybe you should start going to a Hindu temple." Which is something I would love to start doing before I decide to try and get my yoga instructor certification.

I did a hand-knotted mala from these stone beads that I had a strand of at home. I have no idea what they are made out of but they were the perfect size and they weren't all perfectly round which I liked. I used denim lapiz lazuli for the guru bead and the three marker beads, and made the tassel from embroidery thread.  The knotting part of the project was really relaxing and I love that I made it myself.  Meditation is such a personal experience and so it felt right to make my own tools to practice it.

I am still searching for a mantra, but I am not in a hurry to find one. Before I can really meditate on an idea I have to learn to clear my head from everything else, so I've just been using my mala to count breaths.

More updates to come!

Introductions

Welcome to my blog, the new thought-space of the Radiant Introvert.

I'm Sara, and I plan to use this space to talk about ways to survive being twenty-something, which includes money management, staying organized, and maybe a little bit of etiquette.  You can also expect to see posts about my journey through yoga and meditation, crafts I'm working on, podcasts episodes/TV shows/video games that I love, and adventures with my significant other, Adam.

The name Radiant Introvert struck me as a fitting description for myself.
"Radiant" is a nod to my career as a diagnostic technologist working with x-rays and my love of yoga and all the good vibes that come with it. On a broader scale, I try and make it my goal to radiate positive energy when I interact with other people, I understand all too well how bad moods spread and I do my best to combat that when I am out in the world. But the introversion is strong with this one and, after giving off all of those positive vibes, I am really ready to come home and recharge.

All of that is a work in progress, and for me, part of adulthood is learning to be more open and personable without completely draining myself.

Watch me make the world a little brighter and a little more color-coded.