In Hinduism and Buddhism, mudras are sacred gestures that bring benefits for those who practice it. The term mudra comes from Sanskrit, the language of the first inhabitants of India, the Brahmins, and its meaning is obtained by separating it into two parts, mud, which means “joy”, and ra, which means “produce”, which translates as “produce joy” or “producer of joy”.
The mudras come to represent a form of self-expression, which is seen as a silent language that has been used by the Hindu and Buddhist religions with the aim of transmitting their teachings, especially through Hatha Yoga. This is based on the performance of asanas or postures with body gestures made with the fingers of the hands in order to release, open or close the Ki-Prana-Chi or inner energies during the meditation process.
The performance of mudras brings with it great psych energetic effects since messages are transmitted from the nerve endings of the fingers to the brain through a large number of asanas, positions or postures that are estimated to reach about 384, although the main and most used are only 36.
Through the practice of mudras, the energy levels of the body can be strengthened, restored and balanced since this pressure allows energy to flow through the energy channels or “nadis”, providing tranquillity, harmony, security and peace; the reason why they are attributed therapeutic or healing powers on the body, and often they are included in Yoga and Tai-chi sessions, among other disciplines.
In this way, mudras are energy and spiritual resources that help to link the body with the brain through states of deep relaxation that favour mental and spiritual conditions which even go as far as relieving pain since they stimulate the endorphin system, changing moods and increasing energy levels, so that people achieve to feel more lively and stronger, changing their attitude towards life and facing obstacles in a healthier and more positive way.
But the practice of mudras must be constant and disciplined in order to see satisfactory results and to be able to feel its great effectiveness, so that the frequency is basic, as well as eating habits and lifestyle since vices such as alcohol, drugs, among others must be quit.
Another aspect that must be taken into account when performing mudras is that both hands are used because there are postures where the fingers must be joined together, maintaining different shapes with different pressure levels ranging from light friction to high pressure. The recommended time to practice them varies from three to 45 minutes or more, and it is generally recommended doing them once a day as a minimum.
It is recommended keeping some of the postures for about 45 minutes a day to obtain more favourable results; it could even be longer, but there are some that must be done with great care. If you have the capacity and availability to do them for 45 minutes, you can do them non-stop or divide the time into 10 or 15 minute sessions.
When you are going to perform mudras, you should avoid consuming food two hours before at least, and if you remain without eating longer, much better because the digestive process consumes energy, diverting energy attention that is basic to achieve the body-mind energy connection through body gestures, breathing, relaxation and meditation, so that it is also recommended doing them in a quiet place to make the circulation of energy throughout the body easier and thus harmonize the body.
In this way, this practice improves the state of mind by relaxing the body and the mind, stimulates positive thinking, favours sleep, increases attention and concentration, increases confidence and self-esteem, and with perseverance and discipline physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health can be strengthened. However, mudras do not cure all kinds of diseases since this depends on many inherent factors in the life of each human being; therefore, they can be taken as energy resources which, combined with other practices, including conventional medicine, work for the well-being of the human being.
It is also important to remember that, according to the Hindu Ayurveda theory, each hand represents an aspect of our lives; for example, the left hand represents pacification and concentration, while the right hand is associated with discernment and wisdom.
But when practicing mudras, it should also be known that each finger of the right hand is associated with an aspect. In this way, the little finger represents wisdom, the ring one represents discernment, the middle one is associated with the will or ability to make vows, the index one represents power and finally, the thumb is knowledge. But on the left hand, these fingers have a different meaning; therefore, the little finger is charity, the ring finger represents discipline, the middle finger is patience, the index finger is associated with energy and the thumb is associated with contemplation.
Furthermore, in the practice of mudras, each finger is associated with an element of nature that controls the functioning of the body; for example, the element of the little finger is earth, that of the ring finger is water, the middle finger is associated with fire, the index is represented by air, and finally the thumb is associated with heaven or ether.
ALFA