A meditation mala https://japamalabeads.com/ is a string of 108 beads used for meditation and chanting mantras. Almost every spiritual tradition has a type of prayer beads used for focus, concentration and granting wishes. Meditation malas can be made from many different types of beads and usually have knots between each of the beads. The knots create a space between the beads which is helpful for some people when using for chanting a mantra. Check out this great infographic showing the 5 main types of mala beads.