HOW TO MANIFEST YOUR HAPPY LIFE? (MUDRAS PRACTICE)

HRIDAYA MUDRA

(HEART GESTURE)

SIT ON ANY COMFORTABLE MEDITATION ASANA WITH THE HEAD ANND SPINE STRAIGHT.
PLACE THE TIPS OF THE INDEX FINGERS AT THE ROOT OF THE THUMBS, AS IN CHIN AND JNANA MUDRAS, AND JOIN THE TIPS OF THE MIDDLE AND RING FINGERS TO THE TIPS OF THE THUMBS.
THE LITTLE FINGER REMAINS STRAIGHT.
PLACE THE HANDS ON THE KNEES WITH THE PALMS FACING UPWARD.
CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THE WHOLE BODY, KEEPING IT MOTIONLESS.

DURATION

THIS PRACTICE MAY BE PERFORMED FOR UP TO 30 MINUTES.

AWARENESS

PHYSICAL - ON THE BREATH IN THE CHEST AREA.

SPIRITUAL - ON ANAHATA CHAKRA.

BENEFITS

THIS MUDRA DIVERTS THE FLOW OF PRANA FROM THE HANDS TO THE HEART AREA, IMPROVING THE VITALITY OF THE HEART. THE MIDDLE AND RING FINGERS RELATE DIRECTLY TO NADIS CONNECTED WITH THE HEART, WHILE THE THUMB CLOSES THE PRANIC CIRCUIT AND ACTS AS AN ENERGIZER, DIVERTING THE FLOW OF PRANA FROM THE HANDS TO THESE NADIS.

HRIDAYA MUDRA IS THEREFORE BENEFICIAL FOR THE HEART. IT IS VERY SIMPLE AND MAY BE USED SAFELY AND EASILY, EVEN IN ACUTE SITUATIONS. THE HEART IS THE CENTRE OF EMOTION. HRIDAYA MUDRA HELPS TO RELEASE PENTUP EMOTION AND UNBURDEN THE HEART. IT MAY BE PRACTICED DURING EMOTIONAL CONFLICT AND CRISIS.

SHAMBHAVI MUDRA

(EYEBROW CENTRE GAZING)

SIT IN ANY COMFORTABLE MEDITATION ASANA.
KEEP THE HEAD AND SPINE UPRIGHT AND STRAIGHT, AND PLACE THE HANDS ON THE KNEES IN EITHER CHIN OR JNANA MUDRA.
CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THE WHOLE BODY.
RELAX ALL THE MUSCLES OF THE FACE, INCLUDING THE FOREHEAD, THE EYES AND BEHIND THE EYES.
SLOWLY OPEN THE EYES AND LOOK AHEAD AT A FIXED POINT, KEEPING THE HEAD AND THE WHOLE BODY ABSOLUTELY STILL.
NEXT, LOOK UPWARD AND INWARD, FOCUSING THE EYES AT THE EYEBROW CENTRE.
THE HEAD SHOULD NOT MOVE.
WHEN PERFORMED CORRECTLY, THE CURVE OF THE EYEBROWS WILL FORM A V-SHAPED IMAGE.
THE APEX OF THE V IS LECATED AT THE EYEBROW CENTRE.
IF THE V-FORMATION IS NOT SEEN, THE GAZE IS NOT DIRECTED UPWARD AND INWARD CORRECTLY.
RELEASE THE GAZE AT THE SLIGHTEST SENSATION OF STRAIN.
HOLD THE GAZE FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS AT FIRST.
CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THEM.
SUSPEND THE THOUGHT PROCESSESS AND MEDITATE ON THE STILLNESS IN THE DARK SPACE IN FRONT OF THE CLOSED EYES.

BREATHING

AFTER MASTERING THE EYE MOVEMENT, COORDINATE IT WITH THE BREATH.

INHALE SLOLWY WHILE RAISING THE GAZE.

HOLD THE BREATH WHILE MAINTAINING THE UPWARD GAZE.

EXHALE SLOWLY AS THE GAZE IS LOWERED.

AWARENESS

PHYSICAL - ON THE SENSATIONS IN THE EYES, AND ON RELAXING THEM BETWEEN ROUNDS.

DURATION

START WITH 5 ROUNDS AND GRADUALLY INCREASE TO 10 ROUNDS OVER A PERIOD OF MONTHS.

PRECAUTIONS

THE EYES ARE VERY SENSITIVE AND CONSEQUENTLY THE FINAL POSITION SHOULD NOT BE HELD FOR TOO LONG. IF THE NERVES ARE WEAK, ANY STRAIN CAN CAUSE RETINAL DETACHMENT. RELEASE THE POSITION WHEN STRAIN IS EXPERIENCED.

BENEFITS

PHYSICALLY, SHAMBHAVI MUDRA STRENGTHENS THE EYE MUSCLES AND RELEASES ACCUMULATED TENSION IN THIS AREA. MENTALLY, IT CALMS THE MIND, REMOVING EMOTIONAL STRESS AND ANGER. IT DEVELOPS CONCENTRATION, MENTALLY STABILITY AND THE STATE OF THOUGHTLESSNESS.

PRACTICE NOTES

SHAMBHAVI MUDRA IS A POWERFUL TECHNIQUE FOR AWAKENING AJNA CHAKRA AND IS A MEDITATION PRACTICE IN ITS OWN RIGHT. IT MAY PRODUCE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A COMPETENT TEACHER. SHAMBHAVI MUDRA IS ALSO INCORPORATED IN ASANAS SUCH AS SIMHASANA, THE LION POSE.

NOTES

SHAMBHAVI MUDRA IS A MEANS OF ATTAINING HIGHER AWARENESS AND INDUCING HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS WITHIN THE PRACTITIONER. THE PRACTICE IS ALSO KNOWN AS BHRUMADHYA DRISHTI, BHRU MEANS "EYEBROW CENTRE" AND DRISHTI MEANS "GAZING. HENCE THIS IS THE PRACTICE OF EYEBROW CENTRE GAZING.

NASIKAGRA DRISHTI

TECHNIQUE 1

IT MAY BE DIFFICULT AT FIRST TO FOCUS THE EYES ON THE NOSETIP.
TO OVERCOME THIS, HOLD THE INDEX FINGER UP AT ARM'S LENGTH FROM THE EYES AND FOCUS THE GAZE UPON IT.
SLOWLY BRING THE FINGER TOWARDS THE NOSE, KEEPING THE GAZE STEADILY FIXED UPON IT.
WHEN THE FINGER TOUCHES THE TIP OF THE NOSE, THE EYES SHOULD STILL BE FOCUSED ON THE FINGER.
TRANSFER THE FOCUS OF THE EYES TO THE NOSETIP.
EVENTUALLY THIS METHOD BECOMES SUPERFLUOUS AND THE EYES READILY FIX ON THE NOSETIP AT WILL.

TECHNIQUE 2

SIT IN ANY COMFORTABLE MEDITATION POSTURE WITH THE HEAD AND SPINE STRAIGHT.
REST THE HANDS ON THE KNEES IN CHIN OR JNANA MUDRA.
CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THE WHOLE BODY.
OPEN THE EYES AND FOCUS THEM ON THE NOSETIP.
DO NOT STRAIN THE EYES IN ANY WAY.
WHEN THE EYES ARE CORRECTLY FOCUSED A REFRACTION OF LIGHT, FORMING A V IS SEEN JUST ABOVE THE NOSETIP.
CONCENTRATE ON THE APEX OF THE V.
BECOME COMPLETELY ABSORBED IN THE PRACTICE TO THE EXCLUSION OF ALL OTHER THOUGHTS.
AFTER A FEW SECONDS, CLOSE THE EYES AND RELAX THEM BEFORE REPEATING THE PRACTICE.
CONTINUE FOR UP TO 5 MINUTES.

BREATHING

NASIKAGRA DRISHTI SHOULD BE PRACTICED WITH NORMAL BREATHING.

AWARENESS

PHYSICAL - ON THE MUSCLES OF THE EYES, AND ON RELAXING THEM COMPLETELY BETWEEN ROUNDS.

SPIRITUAL - ON MOOLADHARA CHAKRA

TIME

NASIKARA DRISHTI MAY BE PRACTICED AT ANY TIME TO DAY, ALTHOUGH IDEALLY IT IS PERFORMED EARLY IN THE MORNING OR LATE AT NIGHT BEFORE SLEEP.

BENEFITS

NASIKAGRA DRISHTI IS AN EXCELLENT TECHNIQUE FOR CALMING ANGER AND DISTURBED STATES OF MIND.
ALTHOUGH THE EYES ARE OPEN, THE AIM OF THIS PRACTICE IS TO CREATE INTROSPECTION.
THE OPEN EYES SHOULD NOT BE AWARE OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
FOCUSING THEM ON THE NOSETIP CONCENTRATION AND INDUCES MEDITATIVE STATES.
IT TAKES THE PRACTITIONER INTO THE PSYCHIC AND SPIRITUAL PLANES OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

NOTES

THE WORD NASIKA MEANS "NOSE" AGRA MEANS "TIP" AND DRISHTI MEANS "GAZING".

ANOTHER NAME OF PRACTICE IS A AGOCHARI MUDR, WHICH COMES FROM THE SANSKRIT WORD AGOCHARAM, MEANING BEYOND SENSORY PERCEPTION" (INVISIBLE)