Meditation shawl or prayer shawl is meant to keep the body warm during prayers and meditation. Prayer or meditation shawls are used in many spiritual traditions. It is thought that the earliest use of prayer shawls was in the Hindu tradition over 5000 years ago. Later, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity have used the shawl for prayer, meditation, and ceremonial use. This wrap dress is used by both men and women and is large enough to cover the entire body while sitting in meditation postures. These prayer meditation shawls are mostly in pashmina or wool. The designs on these meditation prayer shawls are quite similar to those of wool paisley shawls, like jacquard weaving in Indian motifs and floral patterns.
A prayer shawl can have the effect of covering, or enveloping the mundane garments of our everyday life with a spiritual intention and creating an intimate space in which to connect with one's spiritual center. Prayer shawls can give a sense of turning within, helping the practitioner to focus more deeply within.
Shawl weaving was a prestigious vocation in India, and was reserved for men. It was extremely time consuming too. Two Indian weavers, sitting side by side at the loom, could take up to three years to produce a top quality shawl, the price of which might be equivalent to that of a house. When women in the west fell in love with these Indian imports, European weavers attempted to produce a similar product at a lesser price, which resulted in the invention of the jacquard loom. In the first half of the 19th century, Europeans copied the designs of these Indian shawls. One of the towns where the shawls were produced was Paisley, near Glasgow, whose name became synonymous with both the shawls and the teardrop or pine cone motif, which decorated them. Paisley pattern is a droplet shaped vegetable motif, also called buta, similar to half of the Yin yang symbol, the Indian bodhi tree leaf, or the mango tree. The Kashmir shawls being woven from hair were lighter and smooth with a natural sheen. In Kashmir the shawls were woven in the twill tapestry technique.
