How important is the number 108? Here are just a few examples from an article that appeared in HimalayanYogaInstitute.com
- The distance between the moon and the earth is 108 times the diameter of the moon.
- The distance between the earth and the sun is 108 times the diameter of the sun
- The Sarsen Circle Stonehenge has a diameter of 108 feet.
- There are 108 double stitches on a baseball.
Please add a comment if you know of other examples.
I’m told that ancient yogis believed that we could attune ourselves to the rhythms of creation by completing practices in rounds of this sacred number. More importantly, my teacher Jeffrey Armstrong, requires his students to chant mantras precisely 108 times. This is not terribly difficult when you’re sitting down in a quiet place and use a mala (prayer beads) which has exactly 108 beads. It’s much more difficult on the trail while maneuvering around rocks, roots, snakes, snowfields, landslides and being diverted by breath-taking views.
I worked very diligently trying to chant a mantra 108 times. I achieved a C- grade on this test by the time I arrived in Canada. I used my fingers to keep track from 1 to 10 but remembering whether I was on 50 or 60 or 90 often eluded me. That’s because a steep trail section required attention, I stopped to talk to a fellow hiker or my memory sucks because I’m old.
I’m not sure if I received the truly auspicious benefits from chanting a mantra 108 times, but I found belting them out did provide some specific benefits:
Om namo shivaya om shakti ma: Asking Shiva for strength helped power me up those 2,000-foot ascents.
Tryambakan ya ja mahe….Also invoking Shiva, this medicine song helped heal aches and pains from shin splints, plantar fasciitis, blisters and other assorted aches and pains.
Om aing namo dewi Saraswatyai namaha. Invoking Saraswati helped me to listen more closely to the sounds and rhythms of the forests, deserts, and other places I wandered.
Om aing namo dewi Parvati namaha. Singing to Parvati helped me find peace when I was scared.
Om aing namo dewi Lakshmi namaha. A tribute to Lakshmi and all the mothers in my life.
The Nashringa mantra.. This invoked the mighty Nashringa, the incarnation of Vishnu as both a lion and a human to ward off evil spirits.
Jesus Loves Me..This simple nursery rhyme helped me communicate in a very powerful way with Jesus.
And many more. Because after all I hiked 2,200 freaking miles.