Mudras this word is quite new to you if you reading this article but if you are a spiritual or a yoga practitioner then you must be familiar with “What mudras is” or “How to perform mudras”. In simple language, mudras are the gestures of hand that are often done while practicing spirituality or sometimes for benefits.
In this article, we will see “What mudra is actually” and “How to do mudras in the perfect way”. Practitioning mudra only becomes successful if you keep your mind and soul pure. The same will happen in practitioning yoga.
Mudras What Are They
Mudra is the symbolic and sacred art of hands doing gestures. Mudra is popularly famous in the Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism religions. The reason behind performing mudras is for mental stress relief and meditation.
There is 6 powerful and popular mudra in are below:
- Gyan mudras
- Prana mudras
- Dhyana mudras
- Vayu mudras
- Rudra mudras
- Buddhi mudras
Mudra is a word that comes from the ancient Indian language “Sanskrit” which is known as the mother of all languages in India. The meaning of mudras from Sanskrit is “gesture,”’ “mark” or “seal”. These symbolic gestures can support a variety of mental states that enhance or improve the body’s energy flow and encourage calmness, inner peace, and concentration.
This is a consideration that there are overall 400 known mudras in religious and spiritual traditions. They are used in Indian dance as well as sacred and ritual gestures, as well as in the symbology of Indian religions.
Where do mudras come from | Root of mudra
Mudras have a deep root in Indian/ Hindu literature. The Vedic literature is the first found mentioning mudras. These Vedas are an ancient collection of Hindu scriptures age of 1500 BCE and were the first to mention Mudras. Mudra is also considered an expression in the popular dance form in India like kathakali, Bharatanatyam, and Kathak.
Apart from Hinduism, mudras are also an integrated part of Buddhism and Jainism – two other Indian religions that have Hindu roots. In Buddhism, mudras are often to known when you see lord buddha with his Gyan mudra.
In Buddhism, mudras are frequently an important factor of meditation and are used to focus the mind in on itself. On the other hand, as part of their ascetic practice, monks and nuns in Jainism use mudras.
5 elements of mudras to awakening
When practicing mudra, it’s essential to understand which elements are dominant. The five elements—Fire, Air, Earth, Ether (Space), and Water—make up our bodies.
Mudras How to do it in a perfect way?
Before performing mudras choose the mudra as suits your intention like for the study you can do Gyan or Dhyan mudras.
- Then Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your hands resting on your knees or thighs.
- Take your hand in positions of mudra as per instructions given by the instructor or from the internet. Each mudra has its own hand position and finger placement.
- Then Hold the mudra for a considerable minute, breathing deeply and focusing your attention on the intended effect. You can close your eyes or gaze softly at a point in front of you.
- Release the mudra and take a few moments to observe any changes or sensations or calmness in your body and mind.
Remember, mudras are a subtle and powerful tool for self-healing and transformation. Its result is not sudden, it takes time and for that, you have to become calm and patience from the inside.
Can mudras be done while walking?
Mudra is a tool for being patience and calm. It is a form of meditation using your hand fingers or gestures for better results and output you must follow instructions as given.
As for walking if you are calm from the inside or you can concentrate on noise while walking, YES, you can do mudra while walking but this will give results at a low amount or sometimes may not. But sometimes it can also help you to be calm while walking or talking with someone or in a noisy place.
If you match with your mudra like Vayu (Air) mudra yes it can be done while sitting or walking or while doing pranayama. Vayu mudra can be practiced up to 45 minutes per day, three times for 10-15 minutes each.
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Can mudras be done while lying down?
As per Vedic knowledge, there is no harm in practicing yoga while laying down or sleeping. Following your instructions for mudra for the specific one you can do mudras while laying down. Surya mudra is one of those mudras that can be performed while sitting, standing, or laying down.
Can mudras be done after eating
There is a time burden for performing mudra meditation. You can do it at any time of the day like morning, afternoon, evening, or night. But I would like to suggest performing it not suddenly after having a meal, You should at least take a gap of 3-4 hrs then you can do it. You can spend this gap while doing your work.
You can do APANA MUDRA after having a meal, it will help to digest the meal because this mudra impacted three dosas(vata, pitta, kapha) of the body.
Can mudras be done during periods?
Yes, women can do mudras during periods. Even doing mudras for 2-3 times a day helps you to have good blood circulation. There is no harm in doing mudras while you are menstruating or having a period.
Women should do mudras that will help regulate the downward flow of energy (Apana movement).
Women can benefit most from APANA mudra because it helps women have easier pregnancies and regulate their menstrual cycles. Additionally, it detoxifies the body, balances the earth and space elements within, and strengthens the immune system on all levels.
Apana Mudra enhances digestion and aids in skin purification.
Can mudras be done with one hand?
If you have an injury, have had surgery, or are experiencing any other medical issue, you can practice mudras with one hand. There is no sense that if you do mudra with one hand only then you will get half benefit. No, that an absolutely wrong, You can do it with one hand and even you get the same benefit.
But this needs more calmness, meditating power, and practice to perform. You can follow lord buddha who often you see with one hand mudra and he is popularly known for it.
Gyan mudra is known for one-handed mudra.
What are the best mudras of all time?
There are records of around 400 mudras in Vedic scripters. but we found most prominent and well-known are follows
- Gyan mudras
- Buddhi mudras
- Shuni or shunya mudras
- Prana mudras
- Dhyana mudras
- Surya mudras
- Ganesha mudras
- Vayu mudras
- Rudra mudras
- Makara mudras
- Hakini mudra