Mudrās And The Five Elements Of Your Body
by GaiamTV Staff
A mudrā (meaning “seal”, “mark”, or “gesture”) is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism that involves the hands and fingers (and sometimes the entire body). Traditionally, they are held as a spiritual, energetic seals of authenticity employed in the iconography and spiritual practice of Indian religions and traditions of Dharma and Taoism. In practice, they can be used as powerful tools to heal and revitalize the body.
There is a total of 108 mudrās used in regular Tantric rituals, so clearly, there are many to choose from when deciding to use them for oneself. In fact, there are many, many ways to use them, such as in conjunction with pranayama (breathing exercises), generally while seated in Padmasana, Sukhasana or Vajrasana pose, to stimulate different parts of the body involved with breathing and to affect the flow of prana in the body. The simple hand mudrās, however, is easy to use for beginners, which is why they are our focus here.
Mudrās operate on the principle that the Universe is composed of five elements: earth, air, water, fire, and ether. Because we are beings in this Universe, our bodies are comprised of these five elements. Breaking it down even further, the five elements are represented by our five fingers and thus can be regulated by hand mudrās. The finger categorization goes like this:
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