Why 108

And for the yogis, that code is In yoga, the number refers to spiritual completion. It is why japa malas are composed of beads, why pranayama is often completed in cycles of , and why sun salutations are often performed in nine rounds of the 12 postures totaling By practicing chanting, breath work, or asana in rounds of this sacred number, the ancient yogis believed we could align ourselves with the rhythm of the creation, and ultimately bring an end to our cycle of reincarnation.

When we start to drill down into our human form we continue to find the number over and over again. The distance between the Earth and sun is times the diameter of the sun. Is it possible that our ancient ancestors knew this? Around the time the ancient Vedic texts were being collected, far away Stonehenge was built—the Sarsen Circle is feet in diameter. In Belize, during the era of the Mayans, the High Temple of Lamanai was erected at feet tall—the same height as the funerary Tikal temple in Guatemala.

And within the temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza in Mexico archeologists believe there to be a second pyramid inside measuring feet wide. These temples, built to worship and to house the souls of great leaders upon their death, perhaps used this number to connect humans not just to our sun as a giver of life, but to the Creator.

Were we to draw a five-pointed star representing a human being inside a circle a planet and we would find degrees staring back at us from every angle. Deeper into the microcosm of the human being, it is said there are energy lines, or nadis , converging to form the heart chakra , and marmas pressure points or sacred parts of the body. In astrology—our connection with destiny— also appears frequently. Pull the mala, pulling it toward you as you recite your mantra.

Do this times, traveling around the mala, until you once again reach the guru bead. Others give other reasons for malas having beads. Mala Collective points out that some believe there are stages on the journey of the human soul, while others associate the possibility of enlightenment with taking only breaths a day, while in deep meditation. Other mala designers have been taught that the number 1 stands for God, the universe or your own highest truth; 0 stands for emptiness and humility in spiritual practice; and 8 stands for infinity and timelessness.

And, yes, one can offer a yoga mala of Sun Salutations says Rae. Rae notes that renowned mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed as a number of the wholeness of existence. This number also connects the Sun, Moon, and Earth: The average distance of the Sun and the Moon to Earth is times their respective diameters.

Such phenomena have given rise to many examples of ritual significance. Mathematicians have also noted that the number has an elegant divisibility and geometry, producing endless patterns. It also is the hyperfactorial of 3 since it is of the form, an abundant number, a semiperfect number and a tetranacci number and in Euclidean space, the interior angles of a regular pentagon measure degrees each.

The sum of the parts may offer more clues to why the number is sacred. Both 9 and 12 have been said to have spiritual significance in many traditions. There is said to be of these vices that we go through during our time on earth. These include experiences like arrogance, obsession, and violence. Each human experiences these earthly desires as a means to enlightenment. In Ayurveda, these pressure points are seen as vital for giving life to living beings for it is at these points that consciousness and flesh intersect.

Placing significance on the number embraces the life-giving energy so vital for human existence. According to yogic tradition, there are sacred sites known as pithas, throughout India.

There are 54 letters in Sanskrit, where each can be seen as either masculine Shiva or feminine Shakti , and therefore totalling Sun salutations are often performed in nine rounds of the 12 postures which totals poses. A yoga mala consists of sun salutations.

A mala is traditionally a string of prayer beads with a guru bead. As you pray, you move along the beads, reciting your chosen mantra times. As we practice chanting, breathwork, or asana in rounds of this sacred number, we become aligned with the rhythm of the universe and the energy of the divine source.

Placing significance on the number connects the essence of each individual yoga practice to the whole. To use your mala beads through practice, simply hold your mala between both your middle and index fingers.