So Nicole taught us mudras during our nadi shodhana pranayama practice yesterday. We learnt Chin Mudra and Vishnu Mudra.
It puzzled me why hand gesture is so important? So I decided to dig deeper.
What is Chin Mudra?
Chin Mudra means “gesture of consciousness”.
The middle, ring and little fingers symbolize the three gunas:
rajas “activity”,
tamas “inertia”,
sattva “luminosity”.
The index finger represents individual consciousness and the thumb represents universal consciousness. Their joining together in Chin Mudra expresses the union, or yoga, of these two aspects.
The benefits of Chin Mudra are listed below:
1. Sharpens the intellect
2. Reduces daydreaming and fantasy during meditation
3. Lift depression
What is Vishnu Mudra?
Vishnu Mudra means “god of preservation” and “the Preserver of the Protector. It indicates the form and character of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who is worshipped as the supreme god in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.
Hand mudra is integral in yoga practice as to channel higher energies into our body and mind.
Mudras are not simply a means of personal expression or self-empowerment but to communicate with divine grace spiritually and drawing them to our lives.
Tremendous healing can be done through the hand mudra by directing higher pranic energies into the body and link us with the beneficial pranic currents in nature and in the universe as a whole.
Enough said. Let’s practice pranayama and yoga mudra! 😉
Reference: Mudras of India by Cain Carroll and Revital Carroll.
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Wendy Loh 200 hour Hatha Vinyassa YTT course 28 Sept 15 – 30 Oct 15
