How To Count To 12

Host

I count on my hands by twelve for basically everything, including breaths while meditating.

Here's how I do it!

Each of your fingers has three finger bones:

(1-2-3] : pointer
(4-5-6] : middle
(7-8-9] : ring
(X-E-D] : pinky

Joining the finger bones of each finger are two knuckle bones.

And also each finger has a fingertip.

So when I'm counting on one hand, I drag my thumb from the fingertip toward the hand, counting 1 for each finger bone.

For counting breaths, what that looks like pausing on a fingertip or on a knuckle bone on an inhale, and then pausing on a finger bone on an exhale. (If you've ever counted prayer beads or a mala, it's basically the same thing.)

And then I count "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, dek, el, do."

"Do" is like ten.

Once I have counted up to do, then I start counting on my second hand, one finger bone for every dozen I count on my first hand.

In this way, I time my sessions by breath. A "long" session is a dozen dozen breaths, or a gross. This takes me around 20 - 30 minutes.

And a short session is a half gross breaths. Or 6 do.

Now you know how to count to 12 (and 144) on your fingers!

Interesting! Did you come up with dek, el and do yourself or are those from another language?

Host

I don't remember exactly where I first heard them, but that is the pronunciation recommended by the Dozenal Society of America.

http://dozenal.org/

They also recommend for large numbers:

  • 10 = do = dozen
  • 100 = gro = gross
  • 1,000 = mo = megagross
  • 10,000 = domo = dozen megagross
  • 100,000 = gromo = gross megagross
  • 1,000,000 = bimo = double megagross

and so on.

Gonna start calling anything offensive "100,000" without explaining :D

Host (Edited 1 time)

"That is so gross! 100k! Total gromo :("