Mudras

“What more shall I tell thee? There is nothing in this world like mudras for giving quick success along the spiritual path!”

Gheranda Samhita (Sutra 100)

It was one of my favorite yoga teachers, fellow ecstatic dancer and dear friend, Simplicity Love, who really turned me on to mudras after integrating them consistently into our practice. She shared with us the manual she had been studying, “Mudras for Healing and Transformation” by Joseph and Lilian Le Page and occasionally led us through the meditations linked to each gesture in the book.

I had previously experimented with hand positions after reading Jan de Vries’ “Body Energy” and found that certain gestures had a quick and distinct impact on my energy level as well as on my mental and emotional state. I still particularly enjoy the following one, internally interlacing all fingers and thumbs, that helps coordinate the two halves of the brain:

“Mudras for Healing and Transformation” has a whole chapter dedicated to mudras for the chakras, called Balancing the Energy Centers. It recommends one specific mudra for each of the main seven chakras, aiming at “directing breath, awareness and energy to each individually, releasing energetic blockages and reestablishing the flow of vital energy.” I usually share the corresponding mudra before and/or after a dance therapy workshop focusing on a specific chakra.

What I have found, as I keep experimenting with mudras, is that it is a good idea to do just that, experiment with them and adapt them to our own reality. Play with these energetic connections we are creating with our hands, by aligning or touching the minor chakras they contain, and feel for ourselves how the current is flowing. Be inquisitive – does Chinmaya Mudra have the same effect if I turn my palms up instead of down?

I have also had mudras spontaneously “come” to me, such as the one below. I call it Grounded Confident Truth, as my index fingers, pressing downwards on my sacrum, give me the sensation of being anchored; since my hands are in my back, my shoulders are open and my heart confidently exposed; as is my throat, ready to speak the truth. Try it and let me know how it feels on you!