Rudraksha mala is said to have many healing properties. Rudraksha is said to be rich with shakti and calms the kundalini, thus making it easier to rise. Rudraksha is said to open the heart chakra. They are good for meditation and protection. Legend says that Siva awoke after a thousand years of meditation and began to shed tears of worldly compassion. These tears crystallized into seeds and there grew the first Rudraksha tree. Regardless of the meaning of 108, it is important that if a mala is used to count mantras, the mantra be remembered with sincerity, devotion, feeling, and full attention.