Simply put, Hand Posture is the yogic posturing of the fingers of the hands in various ways. In yoga, apart from yog asanas, that is , yogic exercises, and pranayama, that is, yogic breathing exercises, Hast Mudras or Hand Postures have an important role to play.
In Fact, Hast Mudra or Hand Posture Is A Complete Science By Itself. The whole universe is made up of 5 elements, that is, fire, air, space, earth and water and likewise a human body is composed of these 5 elements.The fingers of the hand represent these 5 elements individually.
The thumb represents fire, the 1st finger represents air, the middle finger represents space, the ring finger represents earth and the little finger represents water. If these 5 elements are in harmony with one another in the body we are healthy. Imbalance in these 5 elements leads to disease.The balanced elements cause the body's systems to function optimally.
The Hand postures (I'll refer to them as simply Mudras now on) start acting immediately.An interesting point to note here is that the Mudras of one hand cause improvement in the body's opposite side, that is, the Mudras of the left hand cause improvement in the right side of the body and vice versa. These Mudras can be done while walking, sitting or standing. If sitting, we can sit in any position be it Padmasana, Vajrasana or Sukhasana. These Mudras should be done everyday beginning with 10 minutes a day to 30 to 45 minutes for full effect.This time duration can be evenly split in 2 or 3 sessions. The Mudras should be done on empty stomach.
* Please Note: While doing Mudras the free fingers have to be kept straight.
The 10 Hand posture are explained individually below.
1. Gyan Mudra or the Mudra of Knowledge
Method: Touch the tip of the thumb and the tip of the index or 1st finger together.The other 3 fingers have to be kept straight .
Benefits:
A. It helps in meditation and concentration and reduces negativity of the mind.
B. It improves memory and with regular practice students can improve grades and intelligence.
C. It aids in alleviating headache, insomnia and hypertension and reduces anger.
Note: For better results do Prana Mudra after this Mudra
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