Praying with Beads

Overview

The use of beads to enhance concentration is a practice used across the centuries by many faith traditions.

Catholics often pray with Rosary Beads but can use beads in many ways to help with meditation.

Meditating with the help of beads

Note: For meditation, students should NOT lie down. They should remain seated, with straight backs. If children go to sleep, they are not meditating, they are relaxing.

Say:

Using beads can help us to avoid being distracted during meditation. They can also help us slow down our breathing and to keep using our mantra.

Let us begin by using the beads to breathe in and out four times. Breathe in and count four beads; then four more for a breath out; another four for the breath in and another four for the breath out. Practise doing that slowly, so you can help slow your breathing.

We can also use the beads to keep our breathing even while listening to music also.

Once we have slowed our breathing using the beads, then we can add our mantra: such as Ma-ra-na-tha. Using the beads, breathe in “ma” and count four beads; breathe out “ra” and count four beads; breathe in “na” and count four beads; then breathe out “tha” and move four beads. Or, we can use another word such as “peace” “love”; “joy” and “hope”.

Make prayer beads

Use hat elastic and pony beads to make prayer bead bracelets.

Students from about ten years of age can make rosary key chains or rosary beads using ready made kits or with pony beads and chord.