What Are Rudraksha Seed Beads?

Rudraksha is a seed bead traditionally used for prayer and meditation.The seeds are primarily used in India and Nepal as beads for organic jewelry and malas, and are valued similarly to semi-precious stones. Various meanings are attributed to beads with different numbers of faces or mukhi and are highly prized and valuable in Himalayan culture.

*click the image below to shop the Hand Knotted Rudraksha and Lava Rock Mala* 

Rudraksha seeds are believed to increase concentration. They provide clarity and peace of mind, which is why they are used commonly in malas and jewelry for your meditation practice! They’re also thought to improve memory and relieve stress. These seed beads also resonate with all of the 7 chakras! 

What is Mukhi or Faces? 

Many of our clients ask for particular mukhi or faces in their rudraksha seeds, but what does that really mean? The faces or mukhi of a rudraksha seed refer to the number of separations or clefts of the bead. They can be viewed by counting how many vertical lines you see in each bead! For example, if you see a rudraksha seed with 5 vertical lines, that means it is a 5 faced rudraksha seed. 

As we have so many handmade 108 bead rudraksha malas and wrist malas, we do not source our rudraksha beads based on their number of faces or mukhi but rather by their overall quality and physical characteristics such as shape and size.  The mala artisans select beads based on these qualities to ensure that bead size and overall circumference of the mala are more uniform.  I have found that many of our standard 8mm rudraksha beads tend to have 5 faces, but can be anywhere from 3-5 and aren’t always uniform from bead to bead.  

Since each mala will have its unique mukhi, it can also be a great way to look at each bead and see how many faces the seeds have, and learn how that count can aid in your practice! 

*click the image below to shop the Traditional Giant Rudraksha Wrist Mala* 

 Shop our full range of Rudraksha Malas today!