Yogis are easily identified by their dress, or lack of, and various accoutrements, one of the most prominent being the mala. Malas are strings of beads, usually totalling 108 that are used while reciting mantras, sacred words used to invoke the powers of the Gods and Goddesses. They can be made of a wide variety of materials such as semi-precious stone, ivory, glass, wood or seeds. The Vaishnava sect wears malas made of tulsai wood from the holy basil tree, while the Shaivas, such as the yogi in this photo, wears malas made of rudraksha seeds that come from the stone of a certain fruit.