HOW TO BALANCE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BODY?

SHANMUKHI MUDRA

(CLOSING THE SEVEN GATES)

IF POSSIBLE SIT IN SIDDHA/SIDHA YONI ASANA OR PADMASANA.
OTHERWISE TAKE A COMFORTABLE MEDITATION ASANA AND PLACE A SMALL CUSHION BENEATH THE PERINEUM TO PROVIDE PRESSURE IN THIS AREA.
HOLD THE HEAD AND SPINE STRAIGHT.
CLOSE THE EYES AND PLACE THE HANDS ON THE KNEES.
RELAX THE WHOLE BODY.
RAISE THE ARMS IN FRONT OF THE FACE WITH THE ELBOWS POINTING SIDEWAYS.
CLOSE THE EARS WITH THE THUMBS, THE EYES WITH THE INDEX FINGES, THE NOSTRILS WITH THE MIDDLE FINGERS, AND THE MOUTH BY PLACING THE RING FINGERS ABOVE THE LITTLE FINGERS BELOW THE LIPS.
RELEASE THE PRESSURE OF THE MIDDLE FINGERS AND OPEN THE NOSTRILS. INHALE SLOWLY AND DEEPLY, USING FULL YOGIC BREATHING.
AT THE END OF INHALATION, CLOSE THE NOSTRILS WITH THE MIDDLE FINGERS.

RETAIN THE BREATH INSIDE FOR AS LONG AS IS COMFORTABLE. AFTER SOME TIME, RELEASE THE PRESSURE OF THE MIDDLE FINGERS AND SLOWLY EXHALE. THIS IS ONE ROUND. INHALE AGAIN IMMEDIATELY TO START ANOTHER ROUND. TO END THE PRACTICE, LOWER THE HANDS TO THE KNEES, KEEPING THE EYES CLOSED, AND SLOWLY EXTERNALIZE THE MIND, BECOMING AWARE OF EXTERNAL SOUNDS AND THE PHYSICAL BODY.

BREATHING

THIS TECHNIQUE GIVES GREATER BENEFITS WHEN THE PRACTITIONER CAN RETAIN THE BREATH FOR EXTENTED PERIODS.

DURATION

PRACTICE FOR 5 MINUTES TO BEGIN WITH. GRADUALLY BUILD THE DURATION UP OVER A PERIOD OF MONTHS TO 30 MINUTES.

AWARENESS

PHYSICAL - ON SYNCHRONIZING THE HAND MUDRA WITH THE BREATH.

SPIRITUAL - BINDU, AJNA OR ANAHATA CHAKRA MAY BE USED FOR CONCENTRATION. THE IMPORTANT POINTS IS TO INTROVERT THE SENSES.

TIME TO PRACTICE

SHANMUKHI MUDRA IS BEST PRACTICED EARLY IN THE MORNING OR LATE AT NIGHT WHEN THERE IS MAXIMUM QUIET. PRACTISING AT THIS TIME AWAKENS PSYCHIC SENSITIVITY.

BENEFITS

PHYSICALLY, THE ENERGY AND HEART FROM THE HANDS AND FINGERS STIMULATES AND RELAX THE NERVES AND MUSCLES OF THE FACE. MENTALLY, IT INTROVERTS THE AWARENESS. SPIRITUALLY, IT INDUCES THE STATE OFPRATYAHARA OR SENSE WITHDRAWAL.

LISTEN SOUNDS

SHANMUKHI MUDRA IS A PRACTICE USED IN NADA YOGA TO HEAR ANY INTERNAL MANIFESTATION OF SOUND IN THE REGION OF BINDU CHAKRA. THERE MAY BE MANY SOUNDS OR NONE AT ALL, JUST LISTEN. DO NOT EXPECT TO HEAR SUBTLE SOUNDS IMMEDIATELY, PRACTICE IS NECESSARY. AT FIRST THERE MAY BE NO SOUND OT A CONFUSED JUMBLE OF SOUNDS. UPON HEARING ONE DISTINCT SOUND, FOCUS THE AWARENESS TOTALLY UPON IT. THIS MAY TAKE A FEW WEEKS OF PRACTICE. AS SENSITIVITY DEVELOPS SUBTLER SOUNDS WILL HE HEARD.

UNMANI MUDRA

(THE ATTITUDE OF MINDLESSNESS)

SIT IN ANY COMFORTABLE MEDITATION ASANA.
OPEN THE EYES FULLY, BUT WITHOUT STRAINING.
INHALE SLOWLY AND DEEPLY.
HOLD THE BREATH INSIDE.
FOCUS THE AWARENESS AT BINDU IN THE BACK TO THE HEAD FOR A FEW SECONDS.
EXHALE SLOWLY, ALLOWING THE AWARENESS TO DECEND WITH THE BREATH FROM BINDU THROUGH THE CHAKRAS IN THE SPINE, AJNA, VISHUDDHI, ANAHATA, MANIPURA, SWADHISTHANA, MOOLADHARA.
THE EYES SHOULD SLOWLY CLOSE AS THE AWARENESS DESCENDS.
BY THE TIME THE AWARENESS REACHES MOOLADHARA, THE EYES SHOULD BE FULLY CLOSED.
EVEN WHEN THE EYES ARE OPEN, THE AWARENESS IS LOOKING WITHIN.
DO NOT TRY TOO HARD, BUT ALLOW THE PROCESS TO OCCUR SPONTANEOUSLY.
INHALE DEEPLY AND BEGIN THE NEXT ROUNDS.
CONTINUE FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES.

INDICATIONS

THOSE WHO HAVE JUST HAD EYE OPERATIONS, OR WHO HAVE GLAUCOMA OR DIABETIC RETINOPATHY SHOULD NOT PERFORM UNMANI WITHOUT THE GUIDANCE OF A COMPETENT TEACHER.

BENEFITS

UMANI MUDRA CALMS STRESS AND AGITATION, AND INDUCES A MEDITATIVE STATE.

NOTES

THE WORD UNMANI LITERALLY MEANS "NO MIND" OR "NOT THINKING". IT MAY BE TRANSLATED AS "THE ATTITUDE OF THOUGHTLESSNESS" OR "MEDITATION". UNMANI IMPLIES THAT STATE WHICH IS BEYOND THOUGHT, A STATE WHERE ALL ATTACHMENT TO THE WORLD OF OBJECTS IS DISPELLED. IN THIS STATE, THE AWARENESS FUNCTIONS WITHOUT THE HINDRANCE OF CONFLICTING THOUGHTS AND ANALYSIS. THIS IS KNOWN AS UMNAI AVASTHA, THE STATE OF NO THOUGHT.

VIPAREETA KARANI MUDRA

(INVERTED PSYCHIC ATTITUDE)

ASSUME VIPAREETA KARANI ASANA.
BRING THE LEGS OVER THE HEAD SO THAT THE EYES LOOKS STRAIGHT UP AT THE FEET.
CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THE WHOLE BODY.
THIS IS THE STARTING POSITION.
FIX THE AWARENESS AT MANIPURA CHAKRA IN THE SPINE, DIRECTLY BEHIND THE NAVEL.
INHALE SLOWLY AND DEEPLY WITH UJJAYI PRANAYAMA.

STIMULTANEOUSLY, FEEL THE BREATH AND CONSCIOUSNESS MOVING FROM MANIPURA TO VISHUDDHI CHAKRA.WHILE EXHALING, MAINTAIN THE AWARENESS AT VISHUDDHI. AT THE END OF EXHALATION, IMMEDIATELY BRING THE AWARENESS BACK TO MANIPURA AND REPEAT THE SAME PROCESS.

DURATION

PRACTICE UP TO 7 ROUNDS AT FIRST, OR UNTIL DISCOMFORT ARISES. IF PRESSURE BUILDS UP IN THE HEAD, END THE PRACTICE. GRADUALLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ROUNDS UP TO 21 OVER A PERIOD OF MONTHS.

THE LENGTH OF THE INHALATION AND EXHALATION WILL INCREASE SPONTANEOUSLY OVER TIME, AS THE PRACTICE BECOMES MORE COMFORTABLE.

AWARENESS

PHYSICAL - ON THE INVERTED POSTURE AND THE MOVEMENT OF THE BREATH.

SPIRITUAL - ON MANIPURA AND VISHUDDHI CHAKRAS.

TIME TO PRACTICE

VIPAREETA KARANI MUDRA SHOULD BE PRACTICED DAILY AT THE SAME TIMER, PREFERABLY IN THE EARLY MORNING.

BENEFITS

THE PRACTICE GIVES ALL THE BENEFITS OF VIPAREETA KARANI ASANA. IT BALANCES THE ACTIVITIES OF THE THYROID.

THE POSTURE REVERSE THE DOWNWARD AND OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF ENERGY, REVITALIZING AND EXPANDING THE AWARENESS. THE FLOW OF PRANA IDA AND PINGALA NADIS IS BALANCED, RESULTING IN AN EQUAL FLOW OF BREATH IN THE NOSTRILS. THE BALANCING EFFECT ALSO HELPS TO PREVENT DISEASE ON THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PLANES.

PRACTICE NOTES

THE METABOLIC RATE MAY INCREASE WHEN THIS MUDRA IS PRACTICED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS. IF THIS HAPPENS, THE FOOD INTAKE SHOULD BE ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY.