HOW TO BE CONNECT WITH GOOD THOUGHTS?

 

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.

AKASHI MUDRA

AWARENESS OF INNER PEACE)

 

• SIT IN ANY COMFORTABLE MEDITATION ASANA.
• CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THE WHOLE BODY FOR A FEW MINUTES.
• FOLD THE TONGUE BACK AGAINST THE PALATE IN KHECHARI MUDRA.
• PRACTICE UJJAYI PRANAYAMA AND SHAMBHAVI MUDRA.
• BEND THE HEAD BACKWARD ABOUT 45 DEGREES.
• STRAIGHTEN THE ARMS AND LOCK THE ELBOWS, PRESSING THE KNEES WITH THE HANDS.
• BREATHE SLOWLY AND DEEPLY IN UJJAYI.
• CONTINUE FOR AS LONG AS FEELS COMFORTABLE.
• END THE PRACTICE BY BENDING THE ELBOWS AND RELEASING KHECHARI AND SHAMBHAVI MUDRAS.
• RAISE THE HEAD TO THE UPRIGHT POSITION.

DURATION

BEGIN WITH ONE ROUND AND GRADUALLY INCREASE TO 5. MAINTAIN THE FINAL POSITION FOR AS LONG AS IS COMFORTABLE, INCREASING THE LENGTH OF TIME IN THE MUDRA VERY SLOWLY.

AWARENESS

ON AJNA CHAKRA.

PRECAUTION

AS SOON AS FAINTNESS IS FELT, STOP THE PRACTICE. THIS A COMPETENT TEACHER.

BENEFITS

THIS PRACTICE COMBINES THE BENEFITS OF KUMBHAKA, UJJAYI, SHAMBHAVI AND KHECHARI. IT INDUCES CALMNESS AND TRANQUILLITY, AND DEVELOPS CONTROL OVER THE SENSES. WHEN PERFECTED, IT ARRESTS THE THOUGHT PROCESSESS AND INDUCES HIGHER STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

VARIATION

AKASHI MUDRA MAY BE PRACTICED WITH BREATH RETENTION. PERFORM THE PRACTICE AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. INHALE WHILE BENDING THE HEAD BACKWARDS. HOLD THE BREATH INSIDE IN THE FINAL POSITION. EXHALE WHILE SLOWLY RAISING THE HEAD TO THE STARTING POSITION.

NOTES

AKASHI MUDRA BELONGS TO THE GROUP OF TECHNIQUE FEATURING GAZING AT AN EXTERNAL FOCAL POINT AS A MEANS TO ACHIEVING DHARANA OR THE MEDITATIVE STATE OF RELAXED CONCENTRATION.