An Indian Art

Yoga Mudras and other Hand Therapies

We will never completely comprehend the magnificent correlations of our world. There is an order—on both a large and small scale—a reason for this universe of ours. Relationships and correspondences fill me with awe. For example, can you imagine what it means when scientists claim that the code of the entire body, including character traits, is inherent to the nucleus of each individual cell? Eastern sages and doctors say that the body, mind, and soul are inherent to every fingertip, every finger joint in each individual finger, and naturally also in the entire hand itself. So it is quite likely that we actually have great influence on every area of the body through the fingers and/or hands. The effect of mudras will be expressed on many different levels. The physical level is associated with material energy, but the many subtle levels are far from being completely researched. Each human being is an individual energy field or sphere. (To imagine this, think of various colored swaths of fog that mix together, permeate each other, yet still remain unified within their own color.) There are different opinions as to how many
levels of energy resonate within: some schools speak of five, others of seven, and others of twelve, but there are probably even more.

These energy fields are subject to various vibrations, some of which move more quickly than the others. The physical senses are oriented toward one very specific vibration, and this is why we can only perceive this vibration in particular. However, the ancient yogis could perceive other vibrations, such as those of the chakras (energy transformers) and the naadis, subtle streams of energy. (If you are not yet familiar with chakra theory, see Appendix D.) In Ayurveda, the healing art that originated in India, the fingers have long had the individual organs and elements associated with them. The Chinese researched the system of meridians, the subtle energy streams, creating various treatment approaches as a result. The Gypsies are said to have developed palmistry, and the hands and individual fingers are also associated with the planetary powers in astrology.

Let's look at the very concrete effect that the hands and fingers have on other areas of the body. There is a direct relationship between the hands and the neck since the nerve paths run through the vertebral foramina in the arms, hands, and fingers. The flexibility of the hands always effects the flexibility of the neck. Therefore, hand exercises relieve tensions in the neck. Moreover, spreading the ten fingers creates a reflex that causes the thoracic (chest) vertebrae to spread out. This increases the tidal volume of the lungs. The hands and/or fingers also have an additional direct relationship to the heart and lungs. With increasing age, many people can no longer properly stretch their fingers. This shows tension in the heart area, which often indicates the prelude to heart disease or a tendency toward osteoporosis. This slightly crooked hand position also impedes inhalation. The result is that the optimum amount of air is not drawn into the lungs, especially into the lung borders, which promotes contamination in those areas.

Yoga Mudras and Healing Emotional problems

One important reason why I started with yoga was an experience I had as a young person taking asthma medication. As a result of taking medication, I could no longer grasp correlations, and my memory was impaired; I was apathetic and immensely indifferent. I thought I might be "sick in the head" and might stay that way. Since then, I have been interested in brain research and everything that keeps people mentally fit. Mudras do true wonders in this field. For a number of years now, hand exercises have been successfully used on children in special education classes. Run your thumb along your fingertips in a gentle and conscious way.

This feels wonderful! It's refreshing for your brain. The brain should be trained like a muscle every day. It has been proved that even after a few days of rest in bed (after an operation, for example), the activity of the brain is reduced. It has also been demonstrated that the brain can regenerate very quickly through the appropriate training. Practicing mudras can be called pure brain training. There is a positive influence on the brain waves, particularly when the fingertips touch each other. When we visualize inner images at the same time, this requires a great deal of ability from the brain and promotes the power of the imagination. This power is one of the reconditions for mental alertness and clear thinking.

The accompanying affirmations promote a clear manner of expression, which is also a mental power. When a mudra is done with full concentration, and a state of serenity is maintained, cerebral activity is
calmed and regenerated. In addition, many mudras synchronize the right and left hemisphere of the brain. This promotes memory, the general ability to recollect, and, miraculously, creativity as well. I will risk claiming that a trained brain remains fit up into a ripe old age. The great yogis have also demonstrated this to us with their mental alertness as seniors. I can also observe—and my surrounding world has confirmed this—that my own ability to recollect, my memory, clear thinking, and concentration have never been so pronounced as today. Colleagues who are as old as I am complain about the opposite. And I am no more talented than they are! The only difference is that I constantly train my brain. Always see the good in your fellow human beings, put the negative aspects of the past behind you, live completely in the present, and make the best you possibly can of it. Expect the best from the future and remain in constant contact with cosmic consciousness—then nothing will stand in the way of a meaningful and happy life. I can hardly describe the blessings that this kind of constructive thinking has brought me. Incidentally, this attitude in life is also the best for my health. Mudras have a wondrous effect on the emotional area of our lives, which includes the soul, our feelings, and our moods. It is no coincidence that people make fists when they are vehemently agitated, or that hands become limp and their movements flighty during depressions. If we want to change oppressive moods, we can do so by changing our breathing rhythm accordingly. The way we breathe can stimulate us, calm us, inflame us, or cool us down.

Using Yoga Mudras to heal physical complaints

Mudras used against a great variety of health disorders are primarily found in Chinese medicine. These usually have their origin in the Five Element Theory , the principles of which are still unknown in the West. However, the Indian yoga master and healer Keshav Dev, who intensively researched the effect of the mudras many years ago, can also confirm the healing power of the mudras. He says: "Your destiny lies in your hands, and this should be taken quite literally. Not only because the hand lines show the past and future of a person, but above all because each finger has its very own functions and power within the organism. If you know how to use this power, you can maintain your physical health and mental peace. When I tell patients about the mudras, their first reaction is skepticism. They ask me, 'How can my illness be improved if I do nothing more than just press together a few of my fingers?' But as soon as they begin to trust and have carried out the exercises, they feel the effect and their skepticism changes into astonishment. Then I explain to them that these techniques, which look so simple, are extremely valuable gifts that were given to us from the most enlightened yoga masters of ancient times."

Everyone who has been involved with the healing effect of the rnudras emphasizes that a sensible lifestyle and diet must absolutely be taken into consideration. An unhealthy lifestyle usually consists of inferior diet, lack of exercise, and too little fresh air, rest, and relaxation—coupled with too much stress, worry, negative thoughts, and negative feelings. Practicing the mudras, together with a healthy diet, routine rest periods, adequate exercise (yoga, jogging, hiking, biking, etc.) will naturally lead to an optimal lifestyle. And this is the basis for health. (When mudras are used to support the healing of chronic health disorders, they should be routinely employed as a course of treatment over a period of several weeks or months. A chronic disease has already had its beginnings within a person many years before it actually becomes evident. Consequently, a certain amount of time is required in order to dissolve the waste materials that have deposited themselves in the arteries, organs, individual
cells, and energy fields.

Some mudras can also be used as help in an emergency (for example: lumbago, dizziness, nausea, or heart attack). Practice these when they are necessary and only as long as they are necessary. Sudden complaints are not a coincidence, but are the explosion of an imbalanced state that has already flared up within us for a longer period of time. This is why a mudra shouldn't just be used like a fast-acting medication to subdue symptoms. Get to the bottom of the matter. Meditate- ask inside yourself what this physical attack means for you. Ask persistently and honestly, for then you will also receive an honest answer. Perhaps it won't be comfortable, but it will have a healing effect in the long run.

Yoga- mudras and colors

Colors influence our minds and our lives on every level. In colortherapy, various shades of color are specifically applied to regener- ate the organs and glands, as well as to activate the processes of
elimination, respiration, and circulation. Colors also influence our moods and every type of mental activity.

• Red stimulates the circulation, makes us alert, warms and relaxes, but can also bring out aggression;

• Orange improves the mood, promotes lightness, stimulates sexuality, but can also stimulate superficiality;

• Yellow stimulates digestion, makes us mentally alert, and lets life appear in a bright light, but it can also be obtrusive;

• Green is generally calming; it regenerates on every level, and gives us the desire to start something new;

• Blue is also calming, but this calmness goes deeper and pro- vides a sense of security; it conveys protection, and symbolizes t the silent yearning for the incomprehensible;

• Violet is the color of transformation, change, and spirituality;

• Brown is the color of stability and connection to the earth, but too much can lead to stagnation;

• White bears the entire spectrum of the other colors within itself, containing birth as well as death;

• Black is the color of protection, of gathering strength, of retreat, and of the emptiness that already bears abundance within itself. Many teenagers like to wear black because they stand at the gateway of a new period of their lives. However, too much black weakens the organism, puts us in a sad mood,
and promotes pessimism.

There are basically no "bad" colors, but it is important to use the right pro- portions. Every color can also be seen in our aura or energy body. When a color gains dominance or is not in its right place, it will initially have an effect on the general feeling of well-being. With time, a health disorder may develop as a result. However, the course of an illness can also be reversed with the help of colors. It would go beyond the scope of this book to discuss the entire spectrum of colors used in healing. The following suggestions can help you have some good and beautiful experiences using color meditations. If you prefer a certain color, it may well be that you need the corresponding qualities. However, if you give too much preference to one color, this can develop into an addiction and the color may harm you.

While holding a mudra, you can either visualize a color or concentrate on the color of an object. The first approach is better because the color will then come to life, which means you can imagine the color as dark or light, dull or bright, connected to forms, or flowing, etc. For example, you feel the need to go into the forest because you can best regenerate yourself there but don't have the time to do so. You can imagine a very green forest, and in your thoughts, you can totally luxuriate in the green of the leaves. This will refresh you inwardly. Such visualizations have long been used successfully, and pictures of lush landscapes are specifically installed in many hospitals to support the healing process. Try it out!

Yoga - mudras and music

Some clinics and rehabilitation centers use music as a component of routine therapy. We all know the healing effect of music, as a number of books have been published on the subject. But music is also good for healthy people who are occasionally plagued by weakness or physical imbalances. Since the music used for therapy plays anywhere from three to twelve minutes, and this amount of time corresponds to how long one holds a mudra, it is obvious that mudras and music can have a wonderful influence on each other.

Tension—either physical or mental-emotional— can be relieved by listening to the right kind of music. The right kind of music has a calming and relaxing effect, possibly even taking a person into a state of deep relaxation. Stress and tension can also lead to an acute or a chronic state of exhaustion that can be positively influenced by music.

If you pay attention to the following points, you can get a lot from using music with your mudras:

• Consider your own taste in music;

• Determine how long the playing time should be;

• Listen to the same piece at the same time for at least three days in row;

• Listen consciously, and immediately let go of any thoughts that may arise.

Which music pieces are best suited for this purpose? Helen Bonny, who developed GIM (Guided Imagery Music), writes: "Tranquilizing and relaxing music is oriented to the human heart, on a calm and relaxed pulse. Overall, tranquilizing music is distinctly calm and more harmonious, with lightly flowing melodies. A person doesn't have to immediately fall asleep to it, but this music promotes specific feelings, such as an inner calm, relaxation, and contentment."7 According to the opinion of the GIM trainer, classical music is particularly suited for healing and relaxing, and solo concerts have a stronger
effect than symphonies. There is a special power in slow movements— andante, adagio, and largo. For a relaxation effect, the most suitable instrument is the oboe, followed by the piano, the cello, the violin, the clarinet, and the organ. Vocals are less suited for promoting relaxation. The following keys are the most effective: C major, D major, B major, and F major. In summary, it can be said that many low and few high frequencies lead to relaxation. High frequency, "airy" music tends to be more suited for
a light, elevating mood. With these guidelines, you can now put together your own appropriate and individual music pharmacy. It is worthwhile to find out which music especially appeals to you so
you can become more conscious of your own individuality in this respect. For example, some relaxation music has precisely the opposite effect on me—it gets on my nerves, and even makes me feel aggressive.

Incidentally, if you have trouble taking the time to do chores around the house, try playing some snappy marches or hot rock music, or even techno, to bring fresh momentum into this bothersome situation!