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MUDRA OF THE MONTH (see below)
THE MYSTERIOUS MUDRA...WHAT ARE MUDRAS?
(scroll down to see the suggested mudra)
Mudras in the most basic sense are hand symbols or configurations. They date back thousands of years and are one of the most ancient ways to heal. Mudras gestures are not only done with the hands, but also the eyes, body postures, breathing technique and mantra. The hands correlate and are associated with different body parts and emotions. They engage particular areas of your brain and your soul. They can help you focus, relax, heal, rejuvenate and balance your nervous system. The hands have always been associated with soothing and healing. We instinctively puts out hands on an injured body part. There is definitely power in the crossing, bending, extending or touching of fingers.
TWO GREAT BOOKS
MUDRAS Yoga in your HANDS Gertrud Hirschi
POWER MUDRAS Yoga Hand Postures for Women Sabrina Mesko
"There is a direct relationship between the hands on other areas of the body. There is a direct relationship between the hands and the neck since the nerve paths run through the vetebral foramina in the arms, hands, and fingers. The flexibility of the hands always effects the flexibility of the neck. Therefore, hand exercises relieve tensions in the neck. Moreover, spreading the ten fingers creates a reflex that causes the thoracic (chest) vertebrae to spread out. This increases the tidal volume of the lungs. The hands and/or fingers also have an additional direct relationship to the heart and lungs. With increasing age, many people can no longer properly stretch their fingers. This shows tension in the heart area, which often indicates the prelude to heart disease or tendency toward osteoporosis. This slightly crooked hand position also impedes inhalation. The result is that the optimum amount of air is not drawn into the lungs, especially into lung borders, which promotes contamination in those areas."
How long one should hold a mudra is usually suggested. I have found that no matter how long or short I hold a mudra, the power of it can be felt. I choose certain ones while I sit in my daily meditation. It is fun and excited to watch your emotions shift with the different hands positions.
January 2006
YONI MUDRA
Translation is "to be as in the Womb"
1.Sit comfortably
2.Relax and breathe normally
3.Inhale and hold your breath while you shut your ears with your thumbs
4.Keep your eyes closed by resting your index fingers on the lashes of your eyelids without pressure
5.Close your nostrils with both second fingers and your mouth with the ring and little fingers on the upper and lower lips
6. Squeeze the root lock by drawing in the anal, perennial muscles and lifting up the pelvic floor.
Hold the root lock as long as you can hold your breath. Feel you are in your body. Concentrate on the Bindu point at the top of the back of your head. Listen to the inner sounds.
Repeat the movements. Begin with 3 rounds and later increase the rounds to a maximum of 12 rounds.
December 2005
NAGA MUDRA
Naga is a snake goddess. It symbolizes supernatural strength, wisdom, shrewdness and potency. Also known as the "Mudra of deeper insight".
Bring your left hand up with the palm facing your face, with your finger pointing up. Place your right thumb in the center of the left palm, allowing the right fingers to rest against the back of the left hand. Allow the left thumb to cross over the right thumb. Hands should be at chest level.
"Even when we take the spiritual path, we will encounter worldly challenges time and time again. Only by working through these challenges do we progress on the path; and only so can we fulfill the purpose of our lives. This is why the Naga Mudra can be successfully used to solve everyday problems. Answers can also be expected to questions and decisions that must be made, the meaning of a specific matter, the future, and the spiritual path. When we need to know something, then we will also know it at the right time. But we must question and listen." Gertrud Hirschi
MUDRA OF THE INNER SELF
Place together the tips so your index, middle, ring and little fingers and the balls of your hands. Put the thumbs next to each other. Like a "street", they lead to the fingertips of the little fingers, which they touch. An empty space, through which light shimmers, is formed beneath the tips of the little fingers. This opening characterizes the power of the HEART through divine wisdom.
First hold your hands in this position in front of your forehead, and look through the opening, without blinking, as long as you can. Then lower your arms and hold the mudra an inch or so beneath your chin for a while. Your hands will automatically be at the spot where the place of the soul lies, according to ancient mysteries, and they form a temple around it.
Now pay attention to your breathing. With every exhalation, very gently whisper "Hooo" and let yourself be carried through the little opening into infinity, into greater mystery.
(Gertrude Hirschi- Mudras/Yoga in Your Hands)
