Do this 108 times, traveling around the mala, until you once again reach the guru bead. Pull the mala, pulling it toward you as you recite your mantra. Starting at the large bead in the center often called the “guru” bead, use your thumb to count each smaller bead. If you have a mantra for this practice, chant it aloud or silently. Hold your mala in your right hand, draped between your middle and index fingers. Take a few deep breaths and set an intention. These beads are traditionally used as a tool for meditation, repeating a mantra as you touch each bead with your fingers until you complete the mala.To meditate with a mala, sit comfortably with your eyes closed. A mala is used for counting as you repeat a mantra-much like the Catholic rosary. Traditionally, mala-garlands of prayer beads-come as a string of 108 beads (plus one for the “guru bead,” around which the other 108 beads turn like the planets around the sun), notes Rae. She notes that 108 has long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism and yoga. She is a lifelong student of Tantra, Ayurveda, bhakti, hatha yoga, kalaripayat, Odissi dance, and yogic arts. The number’s significance is open to interpretation, says Shiva Rea, a leading teacher of prana vinyasa flow and yoga trance dance who teaches all over the world. The number is considered to be so auspicious that 108 is the number for emergency services in India. So what is the significance of the number 108? For example, you may have read of people doing 108 Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) at the time of the spring equinox, or own mala with 108 beads. You may have wondered what the significance of the number 108 is in yoga. 1870, plate XLVI) – Birds of Congo stamp collection, including a male Red-collared Widowbird – Snow Mountain Mannikin – Posted in A Traveller's Guide to Feathers | Tagged A Traveller's Guide to Feathers, Behavioral Ecology, Behavioural Ecology, bird, bird watching, Brown Tanager, Diglossa gloriosa, Drab Seedeater, Euplectes ardens, Glen Chilton, IUCN, Lonchura spp.Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Photo credits: Painting of a Merida Flowerpecker by Joseph Smit – Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (vol. Although we know a great deal about birds, much awaits our investigations. The nest is built of grass, but nothing else is known of its breeding biology.Īnd that is one of the most wonderful things about bird biology. We do not know if it resides on its breeding range year-round, or if it wanders widely. The IUCN lists the Snow Mountain Mannikin as having a stable population, but that is something of a guess. What really stands out about this bird is how little we know about it. The genus name, Lonchura, refers to the pointed tail feathers of some members of the group. It is a perfectly respectable little songbird with a black face, light brown bib, darker brown back, striped sides, and a robust grey bill suitable for cracking small seeds. The Snow Mountain Mannikin was unknown to the bird world until 1939, when it was found at an elevation of more than four thousand metres in the Snow Mountains of west-central New Guinea. The species name, ardens, is Latin for glowing or burning, likely a reference to the males’ bright red collar. The genus name, Euplectes, refers to their woven nest. Males and females both contribute to nest building, but incubation and feeding of nestlings are carried out by the females alone. Males with the longest tails attract two or three mates, while more poorly-ornamented males remain unmated. Most impressive is the male’s black tail, which is longer than the rest of the bird in some subspecies. Some are all black, but most have a bright red slash across their throat. Roughly twice the size of a flowerpecker, female Red-collared Widowbirds are nondescript in their colouration. This bird has a wide, but patchy distribution across the southern half of Africa, and it is known to occupy a wide range of habitats. The scholarly community has known about the Red-collared Widowbird since the late 18th century. Even though we know almost nothing about the breeding biology of this species, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature considers the Merida Flowerpecker to be of least concern. The genus name, Diglossa implies that the bird has two tongues or has two voices, while the species name, gloriosa, is the Latin form of the word glorious. Both males and females are mostly black or blueish-grey on top, with reddish-brown undersides. Like hummingbirds, this flowerpecker feeds mainly on nectar and small insects. A teeny songbird, it is sometimes displaced from good foraging spots by hummingbirds. It can be found in the scrubby highlands of the Mérida region of Venezuela. The Merida Flowerpecker was discovered in 1871. Painting of a Merida Flowerpecker by Joseph Smit – Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (vol.
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