Saturday 5 January 2013

Mudras: Changing our Flow of Energy

I've been learning about and experimenting with different mudras lately, while in meditative, or restful moments.

Mudras are "a gesture or position, usually of the hands, that locks and guides energy flow and reflexes to the brain. By curling, crossing, stretching and touching the fingers and hands, we can talk to the body and mind as each area of the hand reflexes to a certain part of the mind or body.

In each mudra, exert enough pressure to feel the flow of energy through the "nadis" (psychic channels) up the arms but not enough to whiten fingertips.

From Transitions to a Heart Centered World - Guru Rattana, Ph.D.

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From Wikipedia

A mudrā (English: /muːˈdrɑː/ ( listen); Sanskrit: मुद्रा "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; Tibetan. ཕྱག་རྒྱ་, chakgya) is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism.^[1] While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers.^[2] A mudrā is a spiritual gesture and an energetic seal of authenticity employed in the iconography and spiritual practice of Indian religions and traditions of Dharma and Taoism.

One hundred and eight mudras are used in regular Tantric rituals.^[3]
In yoga, mudrās are used in conjunction with pranayama (yogic breathing exercises), generally while seated in Padmasana, Sukhasana or Vajrasana pose, to stimulate different parts of the body involved with breathing and to affect the flow of prana in the body.

See here and below for pictures of some examples of different mudras.