Last week, the lovely blogbots congratulated me on the milestone of my 100th blog post. Admittedly, I’ve always shied away from praise, but this seemed a little silly to me. So what?

“You should do a post about that”, says my e-marketing spouse.
“Really?”
“Yes, my favorite bloggers do. Just a quick something.”
“Huh. OK Maybe I will. Or maybe I’ll wait until 108. This is a yoga blog, after all.”
“Why? What’s the significance of 108?”
“Ummmm, it’s sacred. Somehow.”

Cuz it is   simply isn’t a good enough answer in this household. So I had to look it up.

Cora Wen’s 2010 article in Elephant Journal  and Wikipedia both list varied mystical references to 108 in different cultures. Many additional articles claim a mathematical connection between 108 and the distance between the earth and sun, though my quick calculations don’t find a way this adds up. Whether or not this astronomically accurate or anecdotal is anyone’s guess.

Some people with stronger arms than I – or less regard for their rotator cuffs – do 108 sun salutations as an act of devotional endurance.

I do know this: there are 108 beads in my mala, keeping me on track when I practice meditation with a mantra.

Perhaps 108 is yoga’s version of Nigel Tufnel’s eleven: 108 is a bit more. Long enough to matter. Enough repetitions to make an impression.

What’s your association with 108?