What is the Significance of 108 in Yoga?

Why the number 108?

The number 108 is considered a sacred number in Hinduism, Buddhism and yogic tradition. Malas or Japa beads come in a string of 108 and are used for devotional meditation, mantra and prayer. With each bead a mantra or prayer is repeated to meet a total of 108. The Meru bead is the larger bead or tassel on the mala and is not part of the 108. This is the guiding bead and marks the beginning and end of the mala/chant/prayer/mantra. We lean toward hand made, authentic beads like red carnelian or Rudraksha Tibetan beads.

Fever offers 108 Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskar A to celebrate our transition into Spring. Spring is a season of phenomenal renewal. The earth awakens from its slumber and blossoms into new life, new beginnings and new awareness. It is a great time to reflect on health and well being. Together we will flow and breathe to become one body, one heart and one mind.

For those drawn to the rhythm and symbolism of 108, repetition becomes a form of meditation. A return, again and again, to breath, to presence, to awareness. This deeper layer of practice is reflected in the Yamas and Niyamas, where the philosophy of yoga begins to unfold beyond movement.

•   Ahimsa (Non-violence) – Cultivating compassion and reducing harm toward yourself and others in thoughts, words, and actions.

•   Satya (Truthfulness) – Living in alignment with honesty and authenticity, both internally and externally.

•   Asteya (Non-stealing) – Letting go of comparison and the urge to take what isn’t yours, including time, energy, or attention.

•   Brahmacharya (Moderation) – Managing your energy with awareness, avoiding excess and finding balance in how you show up.

•   Aparigraha (Non-attachment) – Releasing control, expectations, and the need to cling to outcomes or material things.

•   Saucha (Purity) – Creating clarity and cleanliness in body, mind, and environment.

•   Santosha (Contentment) – Practicing gratitude and a sense of enoughness in the present moment.

•   Tapas (Discipline) – Committing to consistent effort and growth, even when it feels challenging.

•   Svadhyaya (Self-study) – Developing awareness through reflection, observation, and inner inquiry.

•   Ishvara Pranidhana (Surrender) – Letting go of control and trusting in a greater flow or higher intelligence.

Together, these principles offer a deeper lens through which repetition, discipline, and intention take shape in practice.

Whether through repetition, reflection, or movement, the practice of yoga continues to invite us back to a sense of wholeness, one breath, one body, one moment at a time.

Here are a few interpretations of the significance of the number 108.

• Sanskrit alphabet has 54 letters. Each letter has a masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti) energy 54 X 2 = 108
• Desires. There are said to be 108 earthly desires in mortals.
• Time. It is said we have 108 feelings. 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.
• Astrology. There are 12 constellations and 9 arc segments. There are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 X 9 = 108
• The diameter of the sun is 108 times the earth.

Please join us in studio to become one. One Mind. One Body. One Spirit.