Friday, June 19, 2009

Mudra Yoga in Your Hands

Photobucket

Mudras are symbolic gestures that, as asanas, create resonances with certain subtle energies of the macrocosm.

Mudras are practiced mostly with the hands but also with certain parts of the body.

"Mudra is a term with many meanings. It is used to signify a
gesture, a mystic position of the hands, a seal, or even a
symbol. However, there are eye positions, body postures,
and breathing techniques that are called mudras. These symbolic finger,
eye, and body postures can vividly depict certain states or processes of consciousness.
Conversely, specific positions can also lead to the states of consciousness
that they symbolize. What does this mean in concrete terms?
For example, a person who frequently and fervently does the gesture of
fearlessness, which can often be seen in the depiction of Indian deities, will
also be freed from fearfulness with time. So mudras engage certain areas
of the brain and/or soul and exercise a corresponding influence on them.
However, mudras are also effective on the physical level. I discuss this in
the section called "Mudras and Other Hand Therapies."
We can effectively engage and influence our body and our mind by
bending, crossing, extending, or touching the fingers with other fingers.
Isn't this wonderful?"

(excerpt from the book Mudra Yoga in your hands by Gertrude Hirschi)

More about this book and download HERE

No comments: