Mudra therapy- A christian perspective- 1

According to Yogic practices and Eastern philosophies, Mudras or hand gestures are used extensively to communicate in dance and other art forms. Literally, Mudra in Sanskrit means a posture/seal.  More deeply, "closed electrical circuits" of the subtle channels in physical and etheric bodies are also known as 'Mudras'.  Some Western writers have defined 'Mudra' as mystic hand gestures used to focus subtle energy, transmit teachings through symbols and confer psychic protection.

Chogyam Trungpa says Mudra is "a symbol in the wider sense of gesture or action………Also it is a symbol expressed with the hands to state for oneself and others the quality of different moments of meditation……." The Vajrayana Tantra and Gherand Sanhita recommend that the Mudras are used to bestow great powers and psychic abilities called "Siddhies" on their practitioners, hence, their awareness should not be conveyed to those steeped in sin, to those that are not true to their word, to the skeptics and non believers, to heretics and insincere persons and those who do not observe the precepts.
Forget the complex definitions offered by various people and sects; we can summarize to say that:
The science of Mudras is also based on the retention and maintenance of the natural balance in our lives. Mudras retain the value of the spoken word as they express inner feelings and inner psychological states. It is an external expression of inner resolve, suggesting that such non verbal communications are more powerful than the spoken word. They also generate various qualities such as fearlessness, power, charity and peace in the practitioner and to on-lookers.

Mudras have therefore always been considered an esoteric science and even as of date there are thousands of Mudras that are not available to the uninitiated (like in the Chen Yen Buddhism or True Buddha Schools). However, besides the mudras providing spiritual gains, there are mudras which are likewise of tremendous value in therapy. Constant researches by the dedicated have brought a large number of these to the fore although we still seem to be scratching the surface only of this sea of knowledge.

Dealing with nerves, Mudra Vigyan is a neural science.

Icons of Christ in Prana Mudra

According to the science of Mudra,   the physical level is associated with material energy and the distortion or impairment of the 5 elements creates outer disturbance and inner sickness in the body. 

The 5 fingers of the hands represent these 5 elements: 

The Thumb	symbolises the Fire
The Forefinger	symbolises the Wind
The Middle finger	symbolises the Ether
The Ring finger	symbolises the Earth
The Little or small finger	symbolises the Water

 

The finger tips of every living being have many concentrated nerve root endings, which are free energy discharge points. By touching together of the tips of the fingers or the finger tips to other parts of the palms, the fingers form what is called a psycho-neural lock. This free energy (Prana) is redirected back into the body along specified channels, back up to the brain. The redirected energy traveling through the nerves stimulates the various chakras. Keeping the hands on the knees stimulates the Gupta Nari and makes the energy start from the Mooladhara Chakra. 

The nerves can be compared with elastic lines that can be stretched or made taut. When the elastic is kept stretched for long, it loses its elastic properties and becomes lose. On the other hand if it is used indiscriminately it may shrink and dry up; once again making it useless. A default setting is a value that is specified for optimum efficiency of this property of the elastic – the nerve in our case.

The default setting of the nerves is thus the natural value of the tension that each specified nerve, should be required to maintain at all times. If the nerve is in this tension, it will be healthy and stress free for smooth and clear communication of the messages.  

The default settings of the extremities have been depicted as Mudras or finger postures. When the fingers are folded in the manner specified a certain tension comes on them. If this position of the fingers and hands is held and the tension maintained for a specified period of time repeatedly, the nerves gradually start getting used to the new tension and ultimately reach it. Thus, the tension applied to the nerve/s and/or the neural or psycho-neural circuits formed by the mudras help in balancing the five basic elements and tones up of the nervous system.   This balancing of the tension and redirection of the internal energy effects the changes in glands, sensory organs, veins and tendons, to bring the body back to a healthy state.

The fingers of each and every human being are different in their shapes and sizes. These are determined and provided by nature as a tool to bring the nerves into prime condition when affected adversely. Thus, they provide a different 'end tension' on the nerves when different individuals fold their fingers or the same individual folds the fingers by different methods in different Mudras. This is exactly the tension required by that individual for that particular application. Nature has already bestowed us with the tools to be used to keep us healthy. 

When compared to Acupressure where the nerves are influenced by the application of pressure on certain points or Acupuncture, where slight electrical impulses are conveyed through needles inserted in the body. The advantage in Mudras is that the pressure to be applied on the nerves is automatic and controlled by the shape and size of the fingers and not by external agencies.

(To be continued)