The Magick of Mudras

Yesterday I went to a book store I've been meaning to go to for a while. Haslam's has been family owned and run for many years and boasts a large used, and new, book selection. I definitely was impressed and scored myself some books that had that nice old, musty smell to them! While I was there I looked through just about every section.. thankfully they have 4 cats in the building, so the kids were even more amused. I was in the Buddhist/Eastern Studies area when I saw a book with a pretty cover.. Oh yes, I'm a very visual person.. I have had limited experience with mudras with some yoga and meditations, but never really looked into them too much. So while standing there thumbing through the book, I can only imagine my look with my jaw dropping more and more as I realized just how many mudras there really are and how much I do them unintentionally at times!

Mudras are a symbolic or ritual gesture and can involve the entire body, but most, and the more well known, are performed with the hands and fingers. They can be seen in many artworks and statues across many Eastern cultures and have been practiced and in use for thousands of years. Within yoga, holding a mudra while practicing pranayama (rhythmic breathing), you may stimulate different parts of the body while affecting the flow of prana in the body. There are many uses for mudras, as a form of spirituality, but also within healing practices as well!

When using a mudra, you will want to hold the finger positions with both hands. This will provide a more powerful effect, and will be more "balancing" than just using one hand. Also, try holding the mudra for as long as possible for the best results! However, we might not always have an hour a day to sit aside for a meditation. Especially when you might feel you need it at around 2 PM but you have deadlines to meet, kids to feed, and you know it'll be more like 10 PM when you get to meditate without an upset! You can also try spacing them out throughout the day for a 10-15 minute break! Sometimes those short "mini-meds" are just as good as the long ones!

There is a gentle beauty found within the mudras. Some are so simple you can do them inconspicuously right in front of people! I hope you will explore their influence and see what magick they can bring into your life! You may already be experiencing them, without already knowing it! I know I was pleasantly surprised at what I had read and even MORE surprised by the prompt I received with my $54.54 bill!!! Spirit works in some wondrous ways! I welcome any questions at facebook or email that you may have on the information I've found on mudras, meditating, spirituality or anything metaphysical!