Mudras -2 Must Read Books

Continuing with my previous posts on Mudras for Healing.

Some of the problems that can be addressed through Mudras include: Anxiety, Arthritis, Anaemia, Anger, -Acne, Asthma, Chest Pain,  Depression, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Ear ache, Eye problems, Fatigue, Fear, Heart Attack, Insomnia, Kidney problem, Knee problem, Liver Problem, Obesity, Psoriasis, Skin problems, Stuttering, Tonsillitis, Varicose vein pain, Weight gain among many others.

Here are two books that you must have if you seriously want to understand how to use mudras to alleviate problems. I use both of them as reference books.

1. Mudras & Health Perspectives - An Indian Approach by Suman K. Chiplunkar

2. Mudras - Yoga in Your Hands by Gertrud Hirschi

Mudras for Healing - Shoonya Mudra

I was turned on to Mudras by a friend a couple of years ago and I am a complete believer. Believer because I've tried it and it works.

What are Mudras? Mudras is a part of Yoga and is based on the fundamental principles of life, the five elements which consists of Fire, Air, Space, Earth and Water. 

Each finger on our hand represents one of those elements. 

1. Thumb - Fire

2. Forefinger - Air

3. Middle Finger - Space

4. Ring Finger - Earth

5. Little Finger - Water

Energy is being passed through our body at all times and through our hands and fingertips. 

Good, balanced health means that all five elements need to be balanced.  When one or more of the elements are out of balance, we can bring it back to the desired level by redirecting energy that is being emitted through our fingertips so that it reaches the right part of our bodies (through our brain which activates the right nerve centres and channels to alleviate the problem). 

Some mudras can just take 10 minutes to work whereas others may take a week or even a couple of weeks to work depending on the severity of the problem.

Here's one which works really quickly : Shoonya Mudra is used to alleviate ear problems / pain.  By performing this mudra in both hands, you will reduce the space element which is the cause of the ear problem. 

Do this for just a few minutes, until the problem subsides. The moment it is gone, you must STOP the mudra.   One of the rules of mudras is that you should not continue after the problem has been solved / balanced. If you continue, you will put it in imbalance once again. 

 

What's wrong with being nice?

I have been told that I compliment too much and have nothing but nice things to say to people. That's true to a great extent - I do try to find the most positive things out of a person or a situation. But it doesn't mean that my compliments are insincere. I don't compliment as a habit but because I really believe what I say to be true.

Case in point - I was walking in the park and I saw this aged woman wearing a beautiful pink silk sari - the types you wear at a wedding or a special function. (I just love it when I see elderly people taking such care/concern to look their best to go out, even while going for a stroll in the park.) I walked past her and looked into her eyes and said that "I love your sari ... it's beautiful" in the local language. She was first startled and then happily said 'thank you' in English. 

Did I go and tell everyone in the park that they were wearing something beautiful? No. 

Did I mean it when I told that one lady? Yes.

Did she feel good that I told her? Yes.

Did it make me feel good to tell her? Yes.

Life's so short. Why not take every opportunity to find something positive, to compliment, to be nice? 

I ask you, what's wrong with being nice? 

Most practical Yoga book ever!

Have you ever noticed that the first clothing, the first shoe, the first anything turns out to be the best option - after going through all the options, you come back to the first one. Well, that's what's happened to me with my first yoga book. 

The first one I ever tried was Richard Hittleman's Yoga (28 Day Exercise Plan). My mom gifted it to me and it's simply a fantastic one for people with a busy lifestyle who've never tried yoga but want to.

He starts of with a few postures each day, taking you step-by-step through each asana with pictures (over 500 of them!). With every passing day, he makes you stretch a bit more and before you know it, at the end of just one month, one can actually perform the asana exceedingly well. He also provides meditation tools to end the daily programmes with.

After the 28 day programme, he gives you three routines with all the asanas previously explained which can be rotated to ensure a total body/mind workout. All routines can be modified to different levels - beginning to advanced - depending on your pace.

It worked beautifully for me. I felt lighter. I lost weight. But then I got greedy and tried other books! Now, I'm back to the original and feeling great about it.

If you have never tried yoga before and want to for the first time, this IS THE ULTIMATE YOGA guide! Try it out and get hooked to yoga. 

Life's good!

Technology makes life better!

There's no question that technology helps us younger folks out a lot but technology is also a great boon to the aged as well!

There's a company in India which is marketing imported stair lifts to help the handicapped as well well as the aged. What is a stair lift? Well, simply put it's a mechanical devise that lifts people up and down the stairs. It consists of a rail which is put on top of a staircase. Attached to the rail is a chair / lift which an individual can sit on. With the push of a button, the individual can easily and slowly go up / down the stair case.

We've recently installed one and it has made a huge difference to my octogenarian grandmother. For more info, visit http://www.callidai.com/stair_lifts. They are based in Chennai but they service across the country.

About being Mindful

Jillian Michaels is a famous fitness coach thanks to 'The Biggest Loser' show. She has many different offerings to help people become fit emotionally and physically.

In her 'How to Build an Exceptional Life' workbook, I saw the following comment in one page that I read:

See every action and choice as a moral quest or personally defining moment. Don’t brush off smaller
moments in life, as they add up to our ultimate happiness — give every decision and action the respect it 
deserves. Once you think a choice through, you don’t have to contemplate it each time.


This is absolutely true. I've had some weight issues in my life but that's really because I wasn't being mindful of what I was eating. I would just eat because it felt good to eat. However, I made a conscious decision to pay attention to what I was eating, be mindful of what I was putting into my mouth, my stomach, my body.

Last night I had pizza and lo and behold, I had half of what I would normally have. I loved the pizza - the crisp crust, tasty toppings and the cheese but and here's the big thing, I didn't want another piece. I was happy with the one I had. My stomach / my body didn't need another. So, I stopped.

I was beyond thrilled. Be alive at the moment, make choices and after a while, it becomes automatic - you will choose the best for yourself because you want the best.

Have a great day, everybody!