Yoga is much more than stretching and deep breathing techniques. Mudras are essential parts of yoga which can be beneficial for your mental, emotional and physical health.Mudras are hand gestures that help to heal the mind and body. One such mudra is the vajra mudra or the gesture of the fiery thunderbolt which has several healing powers. Yoga expert Nitasha Manikantan tells you about the benefits and practice of the vajra mudra.
Vajra mudra helps stimulate blood circulation in the body and also helps reduce the restlessness caused by low blood pressure. The mudra energises the body and can also help you quit cigarettes, tea and coffee. The vajra mudra also calms the mind and relaxes disturbing thoughts. Also, perform this easy mudra to calm an anxious mind.
Performing the vajra mudra is relatively simple. Here s how you can do it.
- Sit in sukhasana or the easy pose on a mat or your bed. It is imperative that you are completely relaxed when you are performing the mudra.
- Now raise both your hands in front of your chest near the heart chakra and with the fist of one of your hands, wrap the index finger of the other hand.
- The remaining fingers should form a fist below.
- Hold this position while you take slow, deep breaths. Also, make sure that you are observing your breath. You can start with a minute until you are comfortable with holding the position for longer.
Perform vajra mudra 3-5 times in a day. Remember that you can practice the mudra any time of the day.
Warning: All mudras are not practised as a routine. It is important for a practitioner to understand the purpose behind the practice of mudras. Proper guidance from a guru for the particular purpose either of yoga meditation or yoga asana, is imperative.
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