- Hand Mudra
- Mudras & Meditation
- Bhairava Mudra
- Dhyana Mudra
- Apana Mudra
- Shuni Mudra
- Varada Mudra
- Ganesha Mudra
- Gyan Mudra
- karana Mudra
Meditation and mudras are two interconnected practices of yoga. Saying meditation can’t be done without a mudra would not be a wrong statement. However, if your hands aren’t in mudra at the beginning of meditation, it will automatically come in higher states of meditation.
Think of hand mudra as a guide that navigates the path. The way hand molds in mudra in the same way emotional aspects of the person in meditation.
Indeed, practicing meditation along with hand mudras cultivates or intensify the results. It dramatically harnesses the mental and emotional health to coordinate with physical.
What is Hand Mudra?
Mudras are the symbolic hand gestures, which on specific configuration depicts a certain story, sign, initiate a process, etc. Mudras have been considering for thousands of years of human civilization.
Yogic hand mudras are one of the ancient practices which are still in the use and we are incorporating these position in our meditation and pranayama practices. It helps in obtaining fruitful results regarding personal health.
Hand Mudras Meditation
Meditation isn’t about sitting with eyes closed and keep sitting like this for a longer period of time, but something subtler in aspects.
A meditating monk with a specific hand mudra happens to be in maximum focus. Have you ever think, how? Making a hand mudra in meditation brings such a positive mental and physical outcomes. well, lets see!
Apart from performing day-to-day work, your hand did a great job by possessing energic points, which on the application of certain pressure governs the prana in the best way.
Mudra represents the dissolving of duality, which brings the devotee and deity together. When we practice mudra in meditation we worship our deity (The supreme) to grant us the vision of bliss and ecstasy. To do this, the deity (we) has to offer a deep sense of surrender by stimulating prana flow through mudra, while meditation.
Therefore, mudra is a bridge, require to discover the more meaningful aspects of meditation.
Practice below mentioned 8 hand mudras to go deeper in meditation;
1. Bhairava Mudra
Bhairava symbolizes the menacing avatar of Lord Shiva. This mudra is the gateway to find the deep meaning towards oneself, as it destroys the layer of egoism, that prevents you to appreciate the beautiful world.
Due to its effect on negativity, you can practice this with your day to day meditation practice. Moreover, This mudra is one of the common mudra practice for pranayama as well.
How to Do Bhairava Mudra Meditation
- Sit in a comfortable sitting posture like Padmasana (Lotus Pose), Sukhasana (Easy Pose).
- Bring your hand on to your lap. From here, place right hand over your left hand in way that the back of your right four fingers rest on the left palm and vice versa.
- Now, maintain the posture and remain there for few breaths.
After closing the eyes, imagine the divine beauty at the Ajna chakra to keep yourself intact in the practice. This will leap your practice to the next level of spirituality.
By placing your left hand on the right hand, would affects awareness and consciousness. This further yield higher meditative experiences and improves the psychological aspects of the practitioner.
Benefits
- Balances energies.
- Tranquilizes the mind and introduces peace.
- Balances doshas
- Stimulates pranas.
2. Dhyana Mudra
‘Dhyana’ represents ‘concentration or focus’, this mudra sharpens and improves the focus and the duration to remains in the meditation. It is the most widely practice hand gesture to keep oneself lifted in the realms of stillness and harmony.
Begin with Dhyana, with meditation, and end in Samadhi, in ecstasy and you will know what god is. It is not a hypothesis, it is an experience. You have to LIVE it – that is the only way know it.
– Osho
How to Do Dhyana Mudra Meditation
- First of all, go for any comfortable posture, Sukhasana (easy pose), Padmasana (Lotus Pose).
- Bring your both hand in your lap and place your right hand over the left.
- Now, attach both thumbs to each other giving the shape of a triangle in the palm.
- Keep into the posture by focusing on the breath. This will boost your meditation practice.
Apart from Meditation, Dhyana Mudra can also be practice along with the pranayama. It promotes deep breathing as if practiced regularly like, Kapalabhati Pranayama, Bhastrika Pranayama, etc.
By erecting back (backbone) while practicing meditation in this mudra, drives prana flow. It further stimulates and balances the sacral chakra and grants a practitioner with concerning health benefits.
Benefits
- Enhance concentration power.
- Reduces unnecessary thought and promotes calmness of the mind.
- Inclined ones towards the spiritualistic growth.
- Promotes right breathing.
3. Apana Mudra
In Sanskrit, ‘Apana’ is concerned with the ‘downward force’, that is responsible for the elimination of wastes from the body.
Meditation, not only requires a sitting posture with open surrounding but a body free from problems as well. Therefore, Apana mudra helps in removal of toxins from the body that makes it uncomfortable to meditate.
Moreover, it improves those mental and emotional aspects as well that deepens your meditation practice.
How to Do Apana Mudra Meditation
- Sit in any comfortable posture, Padmasana (Lotus Pose), Sukhasana (easy Pose).
- Now, touch the tip of the ring and middle finger to the thumb. The index and little finger remain extended with your palm facing up.
- After this, remain as you are and practice it for few breaths.
Deep breathing while practicing Apana mudra results in purification of Prana through exhalation. However, it strengthens lungs as well.
It also balances the Apana Vayu that balances the organs between the naval and the perineum region. This makes them to function in a far better way then before.
Benefit
- Helpful in menstrual cramps.
- Strengthens Pelvic organs.
- Helpful in indigestion.
- Boost up the Immune system.
4. Shuni Mudra
Shuni represents ‘openness and emptiness’. This mudra balances the affects of excess of space element in the body. Meditation unites, as the too much of space elements causes detachment from the present situation.
Practicing Shuni mudra while meditation draws an individual from his/her disturbed state of consciousness to the focused one. Therefore, this mudra makes more of a meditative, if practiced altogether.
How to Do Shuni Mudra Meditation
- Go for a sitting posture like Padmasana (Lotus Pose), Sukhasana (Easy Pose).
- Now, bend the middle finger and bring it to contact with the thumb tip. Apply gentle pressure over it by the thumb.
- Maintain posture and breathe here to deepen your meditation practice.
One can also practice this mudra in prone, standing and walking situation as long as the body is symmetrical. Because mudra can be practice everywhere, irrespective of the place and position.
Meditation with this mudra helps in the stimulation of the heart chakra. This unlocks the gems of benefits concerning to that specific position of chakra.
Benefits
- Helpful in Heart disease.
- Promotes better hearing and reduces ear pain as well.
- Strengthens bones.
- Provide relief in numbness in the body.
5. Varada Mudra
Varada mudra is the gesture of ‘granting whatever the practitioner seeks’. Practicing this mudra in cooperation with meditation cultivates a state of deep compassion.
The gesture of hand touching the earth symbolizes the supreme entity. This makes the practitioner to become supreme giver by achieving sage like persona. However, one can bring the peace and prosperity by practicing meditation in Varada Mudra.
How to Do Varada Mudra Meditation
- Sit in a Padmasana (Lotus Pose) and straighten up you spine.
- Now, place your hand on your knees. Open up your left hand to the forward, while the palm facing front and fingers pointing downward.
- Remain there for as long as it is comfortable. Normally, after few minutes you can relax.
This mudra has positive effect over the mental health of the practitioners that promotes rightfulness.
In case of right hand domination, one can practice Abhaya mudra and Varada mudra with the left hand. You can also practice both the mudras simultaneously to experience a change in your meditation.
To attain highest peace of mind is the ultimate aim of the combination of this mudra. This can be only accomplished by the regular and proper practice with meditation.
Benefit
- Promotes empathy in practitioners.
- Improve patience against an irritating situation.
- Thrashes negative aspects of someone’s life.
- Develops generosity and morals.
6. Ganesha Mudra
Ganesha mudra is one of meditation hand gesture which works on strengthening chest region muscles. In this mudra, fingers are interlocked front of the heart which is said to open to new opportunities to the seeker and remove obstacles in life. This is why it’s called obstacle remover mudra.
For meditation, Ganesha mudra is considered a good choice as it brings your focus completely to the center of the body i.e. heart. In this way, it opens the heart chakra, and with open heart chakra; love and compassion develop in the practitioner’s heart.
How to Do Ganesha Mudra Meditation
- Come in seated meditation pose, lengthen your spine, roll back shoulder and open the chest. Feel the broadening of the chest area.
- Now hold your left hand at chest level palm facing outward and in a similar manner, hold your right-hand palm in front of the left hand.
- Clasp the fingers of both hands.
- Pull both hands in the opposite direction; feel a slight pressure at shoulder level.
- After a while, stop pulling hands and rest normal clasped finger position.
While holding hands in the clasped fingers, meditate on the heart chakra. One can also chant the Ganesha Mantra (Om Gan Ganapataye Namah) for better focus in this mudra.
A good affirmation to ganesha mudra meditation is;
I am the inner consciousness, I identify with the universal life-force within, and it is all that matters.
Benefits
- Enhance metabolism & digestion
- Ganesha mudra meditation boosts self-confidence by opening the heart chakra.
- Reliefs from neck and shoulder pain
- Increases the lung capacity
7. Gyan Mudra
Gyan mudra is most practiced meditation hand mudra. When hands are happened to be in Gyan mudra, the meditation becomes easier. As its name is, Gyana is called to the supreme knowledge one could attain by meditation. It expands the horizon of absorbing knowledge in the state of deep meditation.
The reason for being Gyan mudras’ most used for meditation is very simple; it balances the air element in our body. The air element plays an important role in stabilizing the mind (air is compared to the mind’s thought). When air element happened in its balanced state, the mind becomes easier to control; hence it’s most used for meditation.
How to Do Gyan Mudra Meditation
- Sit in a cross-legged posture and align back of head with the spine. If not comfortable sitting cross-legged, sit with straight back on a chair.
- Roll your shoulders back and bring your hands on the knees; palms facing up.
- Join index finger of both hands with respective thumb tip, making uniform circle with thumb and index finger.
- Keep the other three fingers extended straight or loosen in a relaxed manner.
For meditation purposes, hands in Gyan mudra, bring your awareness at the base of the spine to root chakra. Breathing should be gentle. Holding hands in this mudra, when you will be in a deep meditative state, you will observe lightness in the body.
Benefits
- Gyan mudra meditation improves memory and enhances the quality of creative thinking
- It’s beneficial in insomnia, diabetes, Alzheimer, and condition like hypopituitarism
- Gyan mudra meditation regulates endocrine glands secretion so also controls high blood pressure.
8. Karana Mudra
One of the common hand gestures of Buddha, Karana mudra is a popular Buddhist meditation mudra. Gautam Buddha statue is generally seen meditating in this mudra. The hands in Karana mudra shows the expelling of negativity from one’s heart.
Using karna mudra in meditation practices is widely used tibetan buddhism. Buddhist consider by putting hands in this mudra, they can harness internal peace within and reach the highest stage of life as buddha.
How to Do Karana Mudra Meditation
- Bring your right hand to the chest level.
- Place it either vertically or horizontally opening the palm forward.
- Flex your middle and ring finger towards the center of the palm.
- Bend thumb inwards to hold down the flexed fingers.
- Straighten the index and little finger then extend them upward.
- Place the left hand on the left knee with palm facing up.
For meditation, it’s best advised to practice Karana mudra with balancing breathing like Sama Vritti pranayama. Using affirmation can increase the meditation efficiency while holding hands in this mudra;
- With inhalation – May obstacles be removed.
- With exhalation – May negative energy be thwarted.
Benefits
- Karana mudra meditation clears the negative chatter from the mind
- Practicing this mudra keeps negativity away from you
- It brings fearlessness to the mind
Conclusion
Meditation is the practice to find your peaceful space in the world of stress, anxiety and workload. By involvement of hand mudras along with the meditation practice, you can take your peaceful space to the next level.
Mudras on being practiced right and for a good duration, let you cultivate great experiences loaded with mindfulness, serenity. This further develops mental stamina, which immunizes against the havoc of today’s busy lifestyle.
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