HOW TO BALANCE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL BODY?

 

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.

BHUJANGINI MUDRA 

(COBRA RESPIRATION)

• SIT IN ANY COMFORTABLE MEDITATION ASANA.
• CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THE WHOLE BODY, ESPECIALLY THE ABDOMEN.
• PUSH THE CHIN FORWARD AND A LITTLE UPWARD.
• SUCK IN AIR THROUGH THE MOUTH AND DRAW IT INTO THE STOMACH, NOT THE LUNGS, IN A SERIES OF GULPS AS THOUGH DRINKING WATER.
• EXPAND THE STOMACH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
• HOLD THE AIR INSIDE FOR AS LONG AS COMFORTABLE, THEN EXPEL THE AIR BY BELCHING.

 

DURATION

FOR GENERAL PURPOSES, 3 TO 5 ROUNDS IS SUFFICIENT. FOR SPECIFIC AILMENTS, FURTHER ROUNDS MAY BE PERFORMED.

SEQUENCES

THIS MUDRA MAY BE PRACTICED AT ANY TIME, BUT IS PARTICULARLY BENEFICIAL AFTER THE TECHNIQUE OF SHANKHA PRAKSHALANA.

BENEFITS

BHUJANGINI MUDRA TONES THE WHOLE STOMACH, REMOVES STAGNANT WIND AND HELPS ALLEVIATE ABDOMINAL DISORDERS. RETAINING AIR IN THE STOMACH ENABLES THE PRACTITIONER TO FLOAT IN WATER FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME.

NOTES

THIS PRACTICE IS SIMILAR TO THE SHATKARMA, VATSARA DHAUTI, AND CAN BE USED AS A CLEANSING PRACTICE. HOWEVER, IN VATSARA DHAUTI THE AIR IS EXPELLED FROM THE ANUS RATHER THAN BY BELCHING.

BHOOCHARI MUDRA 

(GAZING INTO NOTHINGNESS)

• SIT IN ANY COMFORTABLE MEDITATION ASANA WITH THE HEAD AND SPINE STRAIGHT AND THE HANDS IN CHIN OR JNANA MUDRA.
• CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THE WHOLE BODY.
• OPEN THE EYES AND RAISE THE RIGHT HAND IN FRONT OF THE FACE.
• THE ELBOW SHOULD POINT TO THE SIDE OF THE BODY.
• HOLD THE HAND HORIZONTALLY, PALM DOWN, WITH THE FINGERS TOGETHER.
• THE SIDE OF THE THUMB SHOULD BE IN CONTACT WITH THE TOP OF THE UPPER LIP.
• FOCUS THE EYES ON THE TIPS OF THE LITTLER FINGER AND GAZE AT IT INTENTLY FOR A MINUTE OR SO, WITHOUT BLINKING OR FLICKERING THE EYES.
• TRY TO MAINTAIN CONTINUOUS AWARENESS OF THE LITTLE FINGERTIP.

TRY TO MAINTAIN CONTINOUS AWARENESS OF THE LITTLE FINGERTIP. AFTER A MINUTE OR SO LOWER THE HAND. CONTINUE TO GAZE INTO THE PLACE WHERE THE LITTLE FINGER WAS, WITHOUT TO GAZE INTO THE PLACE WHERE THE LITTLE FINGER WAS, WITHOUT BLINKING.

BECOME FULLY ENGROSSED IN THIS POINT OF NOTHINGNESS. SIMULTANEOUSLY, BE AWARE OF ANY THOUGHT PROCESSESS. WHEN THE FOCUS DISSIPATES, RAISE THE HAND AND AGAIN CONCENTRATE ON THE TIP OF THE LITTLE FINGER. AFTER SOME TIME LOWER THE HAND AND CONTINUE TO GAZE INTENTLY INTO THE SPACE, THE NOTHINGNESS.

AWARENESS

PHYSICAL - ON THE SENSATION OF COMPLETE RELAXATION AND STILLNESS.

BENEFITS

BHOOCHARI MUDRA DEVELOPS THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION AND MEMORY. IT TRANQUILLIZES AND INTROVERTS THE MIND AND IS PARTICULARLY BENEFICIAL FOR CALMING ANGER AND STRESS.

IT DEVELOPS MENTAL STABILITY AND THE STATE OF THOUGHTLESSNESS. IT HELPS TO AWAKEN AJNA CHAKRA AND INDUCE MEDITATIVE STATES. IT TAKES THE PRACTITIONER INTO THE PSYCHIC AND SPIRITUAL PLANES OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

NOTES

BHOOCHARI MUDRA MAY BE PERFORMED AS A PREPARATION FOR MEDITATION AND AS A MEDITATION TECHNIQUE IN ITS OWN RIGHT. IT BELONGS TO A GROUP OF TECHNIQUE FEATURING GAZING AT AN EXTERNAL FOCAL POINT AS A MEANS TO ACHIEVE DHARANA OR THE MEDITATIVE STATE OF RELAXED CONCENTRATION. IT IS ALLIED TO NASIKAGRA DRISHTI AND SHAMBHAVI MUDRAS, ALL THREE BEING FORMS OF TRATAKA.