Yoga Calories Burned

Can the secret to a long life be found in mudra yoga? Quite possibly!

Stop for a moment and take a look at your hands. Open them up and really look at them. Now stretch them open as wide as you can and take a deep breath. There, doesn’t that feel better?

The hands are often our gateways to exploring the word around us. Whereas animals use their mouths or noses, the human animal usually starts with the hands. There are about seventeen thousand tactile receptors on the hand, and over one thousand nerve endings. The fingertips alone have one of the densest collections of nerve endings in the body.  Put all these figures together, and you can see the importance held in the human hand.

When the hands break down, it is a sign that the whole body is beginning to falter. Anyone with arthritis, will tell you how debilitating it is to loose the full use of your hands. What are the options when this happens? Does one begin to take medications? While painkillers, muscle relaxers or joint lubricators may help temporarily, in the end they are missing the root cause of the problem.

There are ancient forms of treatment that use the hands to heal the entire body. Acupressure, Jin Shin Jyutsu and Reflexology are widely used methods. Another seldom known path to wellness is Mudra Yoga.

Mudra yoga has been around over thirteen thousand years. It is closely related to Ayurveda, the oldest known medical science. Mudra yoga addresses the five elements of the body: fire (thumb), wind (forefinger), ether (middle finger), earth (ring finger) and water (little finger). The intention of mudra yoga is to balance the presence of these five elements within the body’s many systems.

Energy known as chi, ki or prana circulates through the body. In the unbalanced areas where it is not allowed to move unfettered, pain, illness or disease will occur. Using a mudra, or specific hand position will remove any blockage and allow for the energy to be moved along its normal pathway.

The tips of your fingers allow for an exchange of energy. Getting zapped when you touch a television or sometimes another person is a prime example. The same occurs when you rub your hands together quickly and then keep the palms and fingertips close together without letting them touch. Try it.

By touching the fingertips together, the energy of your hands is redirected back into your body and allowed to move directly into the places that have a lack of free flowing energy. The body comes fully equipped with its own self-healing mechanisms. Give it a chance to heal itself before you put something synthetic in it.

Thirteen thousand years of tried and tested therapy can’t be wrong. Challenge yourself to find out more about Mudra Yoga, and you won’t be disappointed.

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I witnessed as the old astrologer’s hands danced with the beauty of Mudra Yoga. Behind his thick glasses lights shined from his eyes. His fingers flowed from one position to the next, never once fumbling, and never once faulting. He sang a tune as he ran through the gamut – the way a child would sing a nursery rhyme. I was sure he had known this mudra melody since his youth, but it held no less significance for him now than it did then.

In the light of the waning Udaipur sun, my guide explained to me that he was reciting the Gayatri Mantra and showing me the Gayatri mudras. It was a combination of twenty-four hand gestures, each correlating to particular parts of the mantra. The mantra and the mudras had been around for thousands of years, and were dedicated to praising the light that clears the darkness of ignorance, and illuminates the fire of intelligence. I had no idea that hands could do that.

As I continued my trip through India I was struck by the depiction of mudra yoga around every corner I turned. Hardly a statue was sculpted that did not have a particular mudra represented. While watching a Bollywood movie at the local cinema, I was thrilled to see the dancing actors combining modern hip-hop inspired moves coupled with mudas. During Kathakali, the classical dance of Kerala, India, I watched the performers playfully telling much of the story with their hands. Everywhere I went I was surrounded by mudra yoga.

The mudra that really caught my attention was, of all likely places, on the side of the road. Shrines adorn the streets of India, protecting the drivers and passengers alike. We took a short break from our long drive south, and the driver went to say a quick prayer. Directly beside the Hindu shrine was a shrine to Christ. There he was, Jesus, holding his hands together in the prayer position. I had seen this and practiced this position hundreds of times. Never had it crossed my mind that I was doing a mudra. I asked the taxi driver if he knew the significance, and he told me it was called Anjali mudra. It was the universal hand position for prayer.

It’s been a couple years since I returned from India. I’ve consequently adopted a special regard for mudras. I understand that they are a language, a depiction of expression without the need for often-overused words. I watch people in every facet of life speaking with their hands – middle fingers, pointing fingers, beckoning fingers, thumbs up, peace signs and pumping fists. We use the speech of our hands each day, telling the world what we want, how we approve or not, offering helpful encouragement. This is a tradition handed down from our ancestors. It has permeated all religions, cultures and races. Since the term yoga means unified, and mudra means seal, it is easy to understand that we are one world, sealed in unity through mudra yoga.

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So what exactly is mudra yoga you may ask? Simply put it is a gesture or position of the hand used to communicate an idea or expression. Not so simply put, it is a scientifically tested method to awakening the higher self and balancing your existence here on earth. Whew, that was a mouthful.

How does one go about balancing human and spiritual existence? It comes through understanding the elements that make up all creation. Earth – Air – Fire – Water – Ether. Lets take a litter deeper look.

Ether or space was preset in the beginning. It was void and empty. Through the will of manifestation, wind or air began to move inside this void. As the winds picked up they began to cause friction. Friction produced heat and fire was created. The fires mixed and were cooled by the winds and the condensation formed water. This water was heated and cooled by the fires and winds until a residue resulted and earth was formed. This is the story of the creation of the elements, as Ayureda would tell it.

Man is created just as the earth. Winds blow inside the space that is the body. These winds are Vata, and they move blood, urine, thoughts and more.

Fire or Pitta, rages inside, burning food for digestion, lighting the fire of our vision and heating the body to fight disease.

Earth and water, known as Kapha, create the fluids and tissues of our bodies. Skin, organs, nerves and tendons are Kapha, as are mucous and bile.

When these elements are out of balance, mudra yoga can bring them back in line. Each finger represents one of the five elements. When the fire or Pitta is out of balance, resulting in heartburn, placing two specific fingers together can cool the fires. When Vata blows too rapidly, resulting in insomnia, folding certain fingers together will slow it all down. Lets take a look at a few popular mudras and see what they do.

Chinmudra is one that most people would recognize. Place the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb and keep the other fingers straight. It can help with insomnia, a restless mind, agitation and other mental conditions associated with Vata imbalance.

Prana mudra is good for tired eyes and general tiredness. It can help with most diseases. Place the tip of the thumb to the tips of the ring and small finger, keeping the two middle fingers straight.

Apan Vayu Mudra is accomplished by holding the index finger to your palm. Touch the middle and ring fingertips to the tip of the thumb. Little finger is held straight up. This mudra helps with menstrual cramps and vomiting, as apana vayu is the outward moving, or expelling wind.

Rudra Mudra pacifies Pitta. It can help with low blood pressure and blocked veins. It improves circulation, eyesight, concentration and breathing. Hold the tip of the thumb and third finger together, leaving the remaining fingers erect.

Shanka Mudra helps with Kapha imbalances. Wrap the fingers of the right hand around the left thumb. Now touch the right thumb to the tip of the left index finger.

These are but a few of the hundreds of mudras known to help balance the body. There are many more directed at balancing and enhancing the spiritual life as well. Books and websites dedicated to mudras are available in great numbers.

Don’t hesitate to explore deeper into the world of mudra yoga.

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