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The Sanskrit word mudra is translated as ‘gesture’ or ‘attitude’.
Mudras can be described as psychic, emotional, devotional and aesthetic gestures or attitudes. Yogis have experienced mudras
as attitudes of energy flow, intended to link individual pranic force with universal or cosmic force.
Mudras are a
combination of subtle physical movements which alter mood, attitude and perception, and which deepen awareness and concentration.
How do these mudras work?
The hand mudras presented above are meditative mudras. They redirect the prana being emitted
by the hands, back into the body.
Also each finger represents a Tatva (element). Thus the joining of different fingers
regulates the energy of different Tatvas flowing in the body.
Thumb Agni Tatva (Fire element)
Index Finger
Vayu Tatva (Air element)
Middle Finger Aakaash Tatva (Ether element)
Ring Finger Prithvi Tatva (Earth element)
Little
Finger Jala Tatva (Water element)
GYAN MUDRA : Touch your Index finger to the tip of your thumb. The palm should face the sky
(upwards), keeping the remaining three fingers straight. Benefits : It removes all the
negative thoughts and makes you positive. This mudra develops your I.Q and sharpens the memory. It helps to keep irritation,
anger and anxiety away.http://www.healthyogaindia.com/images/mudra-gyan.gif
VAYU MUDRA : Touch your Index finger to the root of your thumb and press it gently.Benefits : It instantly relieves pain of the joints and paralytic attacks. This mudra also helps alleviate
any sort of problems concerned with the air (Vayu-Tatva), as it controls all the Vayu-Tatva we have in the body. http://www.healthyogaindia.com/images/mudra-vayu.gif
SHUNYA MUDRA : Touch the root of the Middle finger’s nail with the thumb and press it
gently. Benefits : It relieves ear-aches instantly. It is good for deafness if not by
birth. It also helps in ear-discharge and other ear problems. Time to be spent – at least 40 minutes for chronic diseases.http://www.healthyogaindia.com/images/mudra-shunya.gif
PRANA MUDRA : Touch your last two fingers (Ring and Little finger) to the tip of your thumb.Benefits : Practice of this mudra awakens the dormant prana shakti, vital energy, and distributes it throughout
the body, increasing resistance, strength, health and confidence. It also instills an inner attitude of peace and equanimity.
It helps solve many eye problems and works as a catalyst for other mudras when done after the mudra.http://www.healthyogaindia.com/images/mudra-pran.gif
LING MUDRA : Inter-lock your fingers and straighten your right thumb as shown in the diagram.
The thumb collects the FIRE element from nature, thereby increasing the heat in the body.Benefits
: Good for cough, cold and the abuses of winter, as it increases the heat in the bodyhttp://www.healthyogaindia.com/images/mudra-ling.gif
Set of four mudras for balancing energy that are used in a sequence.Alternately touch the tips
of each finger with the tip of your thumb. Keep each connected for a few seconds or longer and do for a few minutes total.
Do this with both hands simultaneously.
This is a simple way of balancing your energy that
you can do almost anywhere, while sitting, standing, walking, lying down.
The overall effect is that you get calmer, more
relaxed and concentrated.
The separate mudras (hand positions) have the following effects:
Thumb touches tip of index
finger
Opens the Root chakra, and moves more energy to the legs and lower body. Makes one calmer and more concentrated.
Thumb
touches tip of middle finger
Fosters patience.
Thumb touches tip of ring finger
Energy, stability and self-confidence.
Thumb
touches tip of pinky finger
Intuition and feeling.
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