Healing Hands: 5 hand Yoga Mudra to rescue

Everyone knows about yoga and the benefits it can bring to your life. This ancient form of exercise started in India and, has now reached far and wide across the world. Most want to be physically more active but, due to work pressures, stress and travelling schedules, workouts get disturbed and track of an individual’s fitness our progress is lost. So what can be done in such cases?

I have few ways on how we can be more active during the day by sparring few minutes in a day for our health. Just do simple ‘Hand Yoga’.

The importance of specific hand position is common in spiritual and healing arts tradition. India is home to perhaps the largest collection of such hand gestures. The  Sanskrit word Mudra means “gesture”. These Hand gesture (Mudras) stimulates the flow of vital energy in unique ways, affecting organs, glands and nervous system of the body. Such gestures mainly used while doing yoga postures (Asanas), Pranayam (breathing practices) and Meditation.

Let’s learn about different types of Hand gestures (Mudras) and their benefits –

1. JNANA/ GYAN MUDRA- In this hand gesture (Mudra) thumb and index finger are touching and form a circle; the other three fingers are stretched casually. The palms are facing upwards. This hand gesture (Mudra) is known as the gesture of knowledge and wisdom. The Index Finger symbolizes the ego that is beaten by the universal wisdom, which is represented by thumb.

        

     Benefit

• It stimulates brain functions, the sense of touch and harmonizes the nervous system.
• Calms the soul gives inner peace, promotes concentration as well as memory and helps in insomnia and depression.

2. AAKASH MUDRA- To perform this -the thumb and middle finger are brought together. The other fingers are casually stretching. Aakash stands for The Element of room or ether.

     Benefit

• It helps to overcome obstacles and blockades that is, stress related to personal or professional life.
• It also helps with heart diseases, toothache, a stiff jaw, ear ache and weight regulation, strengthening bones, intuition and awareness are strengthened and feeling and thoughts are cleansed.

3. SUNYA MUDRA – In this you bend middle finger until it touches the ball below the thumb. The thumb performs light pressure on middle finger. The other fingers are stretched. Put your hands, palms facing up, on your thighs. Sunya Means “sky” or “zero”.

        

          Benefits

• It has a healing effect on the ear area and helps with different complaints such as ear aches, ringing in ears.
• It can help with imbalance, dizziness, travel sickness, sea sickness and nausea brought by movement.
• It helps in healing throat and nose infections.

4.    – It is formed by folding the ring finger so that it touches the lower end of the thumb. The thumb pushes the ring finger slightly down and other fingers are casually stretched upwards. Surya Mudra activates the fire  element of the body.

Benefits

• It activates the metabolism therefore suited for people who want to lose body fat/ weight and improves their cholesterol levels.
• It helps to heal cold by creating warmth inside the body.
• It Helps To Strengthening the eyes and improve the eyesight.

5. JALODAR NASHAK MUDRA – To perform this, the small finger is bending towards the thumb. The thumb pushes the small finger slightly down. The thumb pushes the small finger slightly down. The Name of this hand gesture (Mudra) is made up of from three words JAL for “water”, UDAR for “ stomach”and NASHAK for “ finish”. The small finger represent the water element.

Benefits Of it-

• It reduces excess water in the body. Swelling, excessive salivation, watering eyes, runny nose and heavy periods.

Apart From These 5 main hand gestures (Mudras), the other important hand gesture (Mudras) is DHANYI MUDRA which is a classical mediation gesture where hands lay causally in your lap which gives feeling of contentment and ATMANJALI or NAMASKAR which symbolises gratefulness or respect which lead to inner balance. Of mind and soul, and many more hand gestures (Mudras) are in the list.

You can try these hand gestures (Mudra) anywhere and anytime. Just Relax and be gentle. Activating the energy in your hands will in turn activate the corresponding energy in the rest of body and evoke sense of overall vitality. If you are new to yogic practices, then these hand gestures (Mudras) will be a great way to start practising this ancient form of fitness.