Mudra Meditation
Mudra Meditation
Mudras are easy to perform anytime, although sitting in the lotus position and focusing on the healing can be an advantage. Although mudras can be used for healing certain ailments, regular practise of mudras will contribute to your overall good health and can be used as a preventive measure. Continuous practice of the mudras will create minute changes in your body using pulse centres on parts of your hands, which trigger certain healing processes within the corresponding body part.
Hasta Mudra (Hand Mudra)
The physical body is made up of five elements namely, Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Sky. A mudra is a gesture or positioning of the hands intended to direct energy flow and to connect parts of the body to the brain as life force energy flows through the body. Certain yoga mudras are believed to instigate particular energy flows and stimulate different emotions, spiritual reactions and reactions in the body. By pressing together, curling, touching or pointing different fingers or parts of the hands in different ways, you can stimulate reflexes from the hand to the brain.
Believe it or not, your health is in your hands! Our hands are particularly blessed with virtues of wellness. The four fingers and the thumb represent the five major building blocks or the ‘Panchamahabhootas’ of which the entire universe is made viz. Sky (Ether), Air, Fire, Water and Earth.
According to natural sciences, disease is nothing but a limitation that emerges in the continuity and balance of these five elements.
Philosophy of Mudra Therapy
The natural sciences of Mudra therapy believe that the five fingers correspond to the five basic elements viz. Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.
Thumb – The fire (Agni)
Index finger – The air (Vayu)
Middle finger – The ether (Aakasha)
Ring finger – The earth (Prithvi)
Small finger – The water (Jala)
In order to bring back the balance in the five elements, there are some specific methods of touching and aligning the fingers with each other. These are referred to as ‘Hast-Mudras’ and this easy and doable therapy may be practiced anytime as an augmented relief from your malady as well as a handy tool for restoring your wellness.
How to perform hand mudras
Mudras in general are actions of hands and fingers that can be performed at any time in any way, like sitting, standing, walking or travelling. So there's no need to devote a special time to perform a mud; however the maximum benefit is by doing it in sitting posture, especially in sukhasana (easy pose), vajrasana, or padmasana.
If you have constraints of time you can even perform them in parts.
In the initial phase mudras should be performed for at least 10 minutes and then can be extended to 30 minutes to 1 hour. It is not necessary to leave all your normal work for 1 hour to perform mudras as it can be done at any time, any place, and in any posture, even if you can't perform all at one stretch you can practice in 2-3 parts of 10-15 min each.