By-passing the Intellect through Mudra Practice

More often than not, when we see images of people such as Buddha sitting in meditation, they have their hands shaped into a mudra. So much so that mudras have become synonymous with the practice of meditation.

But what are mudras, what do they do and why are they so intimately connected to meditation practise?

The Sanskrit word “mudra” has been translated in various ways as:

a “gesture” or “attitude” “to draw forth delight” or “pleasure”
”seal”
“short-cut”
“circuit by-pass”

And when we look more deeply into mudra practice, we can see all of these descriptions come to life

Put simply, mudras are a combination of subtle physical movements that can deepen awareness and concentration… altering mood, attitude and perception.  Mudras may be quite complex involving the whole body in a combination of different Yoga practises or may be as simple as a hand position.

Mudras work with the flow of “prana”or “life force” within us by creating a connection between the physical body (Annamaya Kosha), the energetic body (Pranamaya Kosha) and the mental aspects (Manomaya Kosha) of the person practising them. In the first instance, this connection simply helps to increase our awareness of prana. However, the more we practise mudras, the more we balance the flow of prana between the Koshas.

Mudras also create an unconscious connection to the more primitive parts of the brain around the brain stem where we develop and retain instinctive and habitual thought and behaviour patterns. Through the repetitive practice of these gestures and postures, mudras help to break down these ingrained patterns and refine the consciousness.

Just as energy is “leaked” from a closed electricity circuit as a natural by-product of its flow through that circuit, the prana within us suffers a similar fate and can be lost from the body and scattered into the external environment. Physics tells us that energy does not disappear - it simply changes form. Like electricity, these “leakages” evidence themselves as different forms of energy such as thermal (heat) and/or kinetic (vibration) and provide confirmation of the presence of a powerful, yet otherwise invisible, force.

Mudras create barriers within the body to block the escape of prana and to allow it to be re-directed inwards rather than wasted.  The Tantric texts tell us that as we block the dissipation of prana from the body through the practice of mudra, our awareness becomes more introverted, facilitating the first two stages of meditation… pratyahara or the withdrawal of the awareness from the senses and Dharana or concentration.

Sources:
Swami Muktibodhananda, “Hatha Yoga Pradipika ” Yoga Publications Trust, Munger, Bihar, India. 1998.
Swami Satyananda Saraswati, “Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha” Yoga Publications Trust, Munger, Bihar, India. 2008.