Every time I go to any gathering of yogis there’s always someone wearing mala beads as a necklace or wrapped around their wrist. A mala is a thread of 108 beads used in meditation practice, kind of like a yoga rosary, where passing each bead between the fingers helps you track the number of repetitions of a mantra.
They can be really pretty, often made of semi-precious stones or coloured glass. I’m always a little envious of this look — kind of boho chic meets yoga studio fashion. I’m not sure I could pull it off as a style myself. In any case, I’m an annoying stick-in-the-mud purist when it comes to mala beads, since I learned traditional ways of handling them with respect or even reverence. The idea of keeping it to yourself as a personal aid to meditation annoyingly kicks in every time I think about incorporating the mala into my partywear — even if I know the other party-goers will be beautiful spiritual types.