Meghan Markle has been spotted sporting a hamsa ring. Cindy Crawford wears mala beads. Sofia Vergara rocks an evil eye. You, too, can work the mindful-jewelry trend, which incorporates healing, meditative or mystical elements into necklaces, bracelets and more.
Try these yogi-approved ideas:
Choose a symbol
Resembling a hand with three extended fingers, the hamsa is often displayed in places of spirituality or worship, meant to ward off negative energy. The word itself is sometimes used during meditation. (Inhale as you mentally say, “haam”; exhale and say “saaaa.”) The ring worn by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is from kismet by milka and costs $300. For something under $100, try the Hand of Fatima pull chain bracelet by Alex and Ani, $68.
Craving protection? The evil eye is thought to ward off bad omens that may be headed your way. Take a peek at the dazzling S. Carter Design evil eye diamond charm necklace, $335; or wear the amulet on your wrist, like the dainty red string Kabbalah bracelet from AngelLuckEyes on etsy, $13.
Wear mala beads
These strings of 108 gemstones and beads are frequently used to maintain focus during meditation as you count mantras. (“Mala” is Sanskrit for “meditation garland.”) Some believe 108 represents the amount of chakra energy lines connecting to the heart.
Lara Gobins, E-RYT 200, studio manager at CorePower Yoga in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, relies on malas “as a constant reminder of how mindfulness plays a role in my life.” In the studio, they let students know she’s approaching (their eyes might be closed in a certain pose but they can hear the soft tinkle); out on the street, “it’s a constant reminder to bring my attention back to the important elements in my life that need it. It’s like having a buddy, or a friend, near you constantly.”
Choose your mala depending on your goal — tourmaline for healing; howlite for patience; rose quartz for love and creativity. When you buy the $132 I Am Worthy mala from Mala Collective – blessed in Bali and handmade with natural rhodonite, a stone thought to inspire personal growth and grounding – you receive a guided audio-meditation with the affirmation “I Am Worthy.”
Just breathe
Aromatherapy-based jewelry promotes deep breathing to elicit a sense of calm throughout the body (that’s one reason yoga instructors often use essential oils for savasana). A deep inhale of essential oil also can help with the body’s energetic and emotional response, depending on the oil you choose, says Charlynn Avery, senior wellness education manager at Aura Cacia. A whiff of lavender, for instance, “is calming and can support restful balance.”
These pieces use porous materials, such as lava stone, to soak up a few drops of oil, steadily releasing it throughout the day. Search online for “aromatherapy jewelry” or “diffuser jewelry.”
Also drawing on the deep breathing phenomenon: Komuso Design’s The Shift necklace, starting at $85. Inspired by 17th century Japanese monks who used a similar tool to meditate, its small circumference slows your breath as you exhale for 10 seconds at a time. Larry Payne, founding director of the Yoga Therapy Rx and Prime of Life Yoga programs at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and coauthor of
Yoga for Dummies, says this sort of prolonged exhaling is “an instant stress buster. Long exhales are like sending a text message to the parasympathetic nervous system, saying, ‘Relax.’ ”
February 26, 2019