The Power of Mudras

[greatdane]

I love mudras and the feelings I get from them and was wondering if anyone else used them regularly. The Prana Mudra is a favorite, but I have a few. I found a link that showed it with a picture (although I tend to keep my outstretched fingers more together, but that's just me!). I feel they help the chakras and I also use sound to work with my chakras.

http://healing.about.com/od/east/ig/Mudra-Gallery/Prana.htm

Would enjoy reading other thoughts about mudras, if you use them, and what you get from them.

 

[DownwardSpiral]

Ok I have never heard of these so I went to the link and tried the "pose" and I felt a really strong pulse in my thumb.

Would love to hear if others use these as well and I plan on going back to check out more "poses" on the site.

I could use some energy......can it really be this simple?

 

[Annabelle]

What a great visual resource -- I'm glad you posted this, Greatdane!

And how serendipitous, too, in terms of timing, as I'd recently discovered the Mudras (as in, just earlier this week) and was happily surprised to realize that I'd been using a couple of them for years without even being aware of what I was doing.

 

[greatdane]

Hello DownwardSpiral and Annabelle!

I am so pleased if you found this link at all useful. I can only relate my experiences and I find them one of my useful tools to relax or concentrate or help with energy. I don't see them as some type of cure all, but part of my practice and rituals. I do find that doing them at LEAST 3 minutes is more helpful than say just 60 seconds. If I'm in a meditation pose, I find doing a mudra throughout the session is helpful.

My suggestion to anyone not very familiar with them is to try various ones and see what works best for you. I think most will choose (no pun intended!) a handful! If one is sitting in a drs examination room alone just waiting, doing a mudra can be soothing. For energizing, I find doing the prana mudra useful, but there are others as well. I also think they can help with concentration. There is a fairly inexpensive SMALL book but with a set of LARGE photographic cards in color that show tons of poses. It's called Yoga for the Hands by Mesko. I can't say all the poses I use are in there. I am not sure she has the prana pose in this set, but she does show a lot of poses. But I think the link I attached with this thread is enough to get anyone started for free!

I would love to hear about everyone's experiences with them. Annabelle and DownwardSpiral, I hope you continue to find them of interest. Annabelle, serendipitity and synchronicity are wondrous things indeed .

GD

 

[Carla]

I tend to use mudras during chanting meditation. I find using a different mudra, even with the same chant, can change my experience of it and help focus my intention in a new direction.

Mudras are a fairly important part of kundalini yoga, which I enjoy very much.

 

[Penthasilia]

I was recently introduced to this concept as well by one of my fellow Feri practitioners who uses it to run the Iron and Pearl pentacles. Very powerful! Hmmm- thinking of that, I may have to try to incorporate it into my yoga practice and see how it goes...

 

[greatdane]

Carla And Penthasilia

Carla, I so agree that changing your mudra can change the effects of whatever else you're doing. I think it lends power whether it's power to relax, focus, energize....

Penthasilia, the link I included at the beginning of the thread shows many mudras, not all, but a good start. To be honest, I like it better than the large mudra cards I have, although they are very useful too.

Here's one of the ways the internet is very useful, we can explore different ideas, complete with pictures, within a few clicks!

 

[celticnoodle]

Like downwardspiral, at first, I couldn't recall ever hearing of a mudra either. I checked your link though, and as soon as I read the title of prana mudra, I remembered that one. Its been a long time though, and I never really got into these before. Perhaps it is time to try it again. Thanks for the link Greatdane and for starting this thread.

I also googled for another thread re: opening the chakras with mudras. check this one out for more mudras.

http://www.eclecticenergies.com/chakras/open.php

I know I need to open my chakras and to do more meditations too. Perhaps I'll try these and see what happens. GD, as usual, you have started a great thread, and getting me wanting to do something more. Unfortunately, due to arthritis, I can't really sit in the pose shown in that link--and will have to do this from sitting in a straight back chair--but, I suppose it doesn't truly matter.

 

[greatdane]

Celticnoodle - I HEAR YA, SISTER!

Up until a few years ago, I could do a full lotus position. My muscles are willing, my knees, not always so much, so I now sit using the same back position I used to in a lotus, just in a chair. I don't feel it matters at all. Still wish I could do a full lotus for more than five seconds tho! And you're so very welcome! I'm so happy if you found something useful. I think they're especially great while you're sitting in an examination room all alone waiting for the doctor. Nice to have something to do while you're on that table with the tissue paper on it!

 

[DownwardSpiral]

I tend to use mudras during chanting meditation. I find using a different mudra, even with the same chant, can change my experience of it and help focus my intention in a new direction.

Mudras are a fairly important part of kundalini yoga, which I enjoy very much.

It's been awhile ago but I remember seeing a meditation in a book that had you holding the fingers in a position while chanting a sound and at the time I really didn't give it much thought but now I may need to give it more attention. I still need to go back to the original link posted and check out the one from CN as well. (was hoping to do this today....I'm only getting Sundays off and my daughter was here today with the baby. LOL then I spent 2 hours on the phone with the other daughter)

Anyway I haven't forgot about this post...and I too am greatful for the info shared here : )