WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC TRUTH ABOUT MUDRAS?

WHAT IS THE MUDRAS

BENEFITS?

MUDRA

THE SANSKRIT WORD MUDRA IS TRANSLATED AS "GESTURE" OR "ATTITUDE". MUDRA CAN BE DESCRIBED AS PSYCHIC, EMOTIONAL, DEVOTIONAL, AND AESTHETIC GESTURES OR ATTITUDE. YOGIS HAVE EXPERIENCED MUDRAS AS ATTITUDE OF ENERGY FLOW, INTENTED TO LINK INDIVIDUAL PRANIC FORCE WITH UNIVERSAL OR COSMIC FORCE.

MUDRAS ARE A COMBINATION OF SUBTLE PHYSICAL MOVEMENTS WHICH ALTER MOOD, ATTITUDE AND PERCEPTION, AND WHICH DEEPEN AWARENESS AND CONCENTRATION. A MUDRA MAY INVOLVE THE WHOLE BODY IN A COMBINATION OF ASANA, PRANAYAMA, BANDHA AND VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES, OR IT MAY BE A SIMPLE HAND POSITION.

MUDRAS AND PRANA

THE ATTITUDE AND POSTURES ADOPTED DURING MUDRA PRACTICES ESTABLISH A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN ANNAMAYA KOSHA, (THE PHYSICAL BODY), MAMONMAYA KOSHA (THE MENTAL BODY) AND PRANAMAYA KOSHA (THE ENERGY BODY). INITIALLY, THIS ENABLES THE PRACTITIONER TO DEVELOP AWARENESS OF THE FLOW OF PRANA IN THE BODY. ULTIMATELY, IT ESTABLISHES PRANIC BALANCE WITHIN THE KOSHAS AND ENABLES THE REDIRECTION OF SUBTLE ENERGY TO THE UPPER CHAKRAS, INDUCING HIGHER STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

SCIENTIFIC TRUTH

IN SCIENTIFIC TERMS, PROVIDE A MEANS TO ACCESS AND INFLUENCE THE UNCONSCIOUS REFLEXES AND PRIMAL, INSTINCTIVE HABIT PATTERNS THAT ORIGINATE IN THE PRIMITIVE AREAS OF THE BRAIN AROUND THE BRAIN STEM. THEY ESTABLISH SUBTLE, NON-INTELLECTUAL CONNECTION WITH THESE AREAS. EACH MUDRA SETS UP A DIFFERENT LINK AND HAS A CORRESPONDINGLY DIFFERENT EFFECT ON THE BODY, MIND AND PRANA.

THE AIMS TO CREATE FIXED, REPETITIVE POSTURES AND GESTURES WHICH CAN SNAP THE PRACTITIONER OUT OF INSTINCTIVE HABIT PATTERNS AND ESTABLISH A MORE REFINED CONSCIOUSNESS.

THE FIVE GROUPS OF MUDRA

1. HASTA (HAND MUDRAS)

THE HAND MUDRAS PRESENTED IN THIS CHAPTER ARE MEDITATIVE MUDRAS. THEY REDIRECT THE PRANA EMITTED BY THE HAND BACK INTO THE BODY.

JNANA MUDRA
CHIN MUDRA
YONI MUDRA
BHAIRAVA MUDRA
HRIDAYA MUDRA

2. MANA (HEAD MUSCLES)

THESE PRACTICES FORM AN INTEGRAL PART OF KUNDALINI YOGA AND MANY ARE MEDITATION TECHNIQUE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. THEY UTILIZE THE EYES, EARS, NOSE, TONGUE AND LIPS. TECHNIQUES INCLUDED IN THSI CATEGORY ARE

SHAMBHAVI MUDRA
NASIKAGRA DRISHTI
KHECHARI MUDRA
KAKI MUDRA
BHUJANGINI MUDRA
BHOOCHARI MUDRA
AKASHI MUDRA
SHANMUKHI MUDRA
UNMANI MUDRA

3. KAYA (POSTURAL MUDRA)

THESE PRACTICES UTILIZE PHYSICAL POSTURES COMBINED WITH BREATHING AND CONCENTRATION. TECHNIQUE INCLUDED IN THIS CATEGORY

VIPAREETA KARANI MUDRA
PASHINEE MUDRA
PRANA MUDRA
YOGA MUDRA
MANDUKI MUDRA
TADAGI MUDRA

4. BANDHA (LOCK MUDRAS)

THESE PRACTICES COMBINE MUDRA AND BANDHA. THEY CHARGE THE SYSTEM WITH PRANA AND PREPARE IT FOR KUNDALINI AWAKENING. TECHNIQUE INCLUDED IN THIS CATEGORY

MAHA MUDRA
MAHA BHEDA MUDRA
MAHA VEDHA MUDRA

5. ADHARA (PERINEAL MUDRAS)

THESE TECHNIQUES REDIRECT PRANA FROM THE LOWER CENTRES TO THE BRAIN. MUDRAS CONCERNED WITH SUBLIMATING SEXUAL ENERGY ARE IN THIS GROUP.

ASHWINI MUDRA
VAJROLI MUDRA

BETWEEN THEM THESE FIVE GROUPS ENGAGE SUBSTANTIAL AREAS OF THE CEREBRAL CORTEX. THE COMPARATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF HEAD AND HAND MUDAS REFLECTS THE FACT THAT THE OPERATION AND INTERPRETATION OF INFORMATION COMING INF FROM THESE TWO AREAS OCCUPIES APPROXIMATELY EITHER FIFTY PERCENT OF THE CORTEX.

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.

TRIKONASANA

(THE TRIANGLE POSE)

ABOUT

TRIKONASANA AND ALL ITS VARIATIONS BELONG TO THE CATEGORY OF STANDING AND BENDING ASANAS. THIS ASANA IS CALLED TRIKONA BECAUSE THE ASAN WHEN PERFORMED CORRECTLY GIVES THE IDEA OF THREE ANGLES.

TECHNIQUE

ON A FOLDED BLANKET, STAND ERECT WITH LEGS APART AND INHALE. RAISE THE ARMS HORIZONTALLY IN A STRAIGHT LINE WITH THE SHOULDERS. START BENDING SLOWLY TO YOUR RIGHT UNTIL YOUR RIGHT HAND TOUCHES YOUR RIGHT FOOT. THE ARMS SHOULD FORM VERTICLE LINE WITH THE FACE TURNED UPWARDS. AFTER A COUPLE OF SECONDS INHALE AND PERFORM THE SAME MOVEMENT TO THE LEFT AND EXHALE SLOWLY WHILE LOWERING THE ARMS.

BENEFITS

THIS ASANAS STRETCHES AND STRENGTHENS THE MUSCLES OF CALF, WAIST, THIGHS, HIPS, LEGS, SPINAL COLUMN AND ADRENAL GLANDS.
IT EXPELLS GAS, REMOVES CONSTIPATION, STIMULATES HEART AND LUNGS.
IT ALSO IMPROVES DIGESTION, INVIGARATES APPETITE.
IT ALSO IMPROVES DIGESTION AND BLOOD CIRCULATION AND REMOVES NECK AND BACKACHE AND DYSPEPSIA.
PERFORMED REGULARLY AND CORRECTLY THIS ASAN CAN DEFLATE "SPARE TYRE" AND REDUCE EXCESSIVE FAT IN HIPS AND ABDOMINAL REGION.
IT CAN ALSO CORRECT THE GALL BLADDER DISORDERS AND INCREASE HEIGHT.