A Mudra Vinyasa for Protection, Healing, and Transforming the Energy of Challenge into Creativity
Mudras are hand gestures that symbolize archetypal energy- they are like stories your hands tell your body.
They are wonderful meditations in themselves, and also can be used as “anchors” when you are feeling hijacked by your nervous system by a trigger, a stressor, or by anxiety or depression.
I have created this sequence to first connect to the earth and ground, to create a sense of safety and protection, and then to channel the energy into healing and creativity. This past moth, I have begun an amazing course under Dr. Peter Levine, trauma therapy pioneer and creator of Somatic Experiencing. Dr. Levine speaks of the process of trauma as the creation of vortexes that we can get drawn into. Healing does not eradicate the vortexes- healing allows us to integrate and embody the energy of our experience.
Mudras are ways of expressing and giving our bodies both the experience of embodiment and a container for released energy..
You can choose one to work with that resonates in particular, or you can weave them together with movement and breath.
1. Adhi Mudra- Thumbs inside fists, hands resting.I often begin my practice with this grounding mudra. I call it my “earth plug.” I use it everywhere- even in the grocery store- to help myself stay present. Adhi means :"Primordial Stillness”
2. Vaikara Mudra- Hands in fists, arms crossed. A mudra of protection against large forces and “big,” archetypal energy from collective trauma- natural disasters, pandemics, oppressive governmental structures, the ‘isms’ that plague us, etc.
3. Svasti Mudra- Hands extended, arms crossed. A mudra of protection from negative energy. This is a powerful mudra to use in protecting your personal space from another person. I use it to “clear” after conflict.
.4. Gupta Mudra- Hands clasped, fingers interlaced. A Mudra of protection from our own limiting beliefs.
5. Svadisthana Mudra- one hand at low center, one extended to the side. Svadithana is the 2nd chakra, or energy center. It translates as “one’s true abode” and “sweetness.” This is a gesture of self-nurture. It helps me hold the space between solitude- having a sense of boundary- and connection to both self and others.
6. Brahma Mudra- hands in fists, knuckles touching at the solar plexus. Brahma is the god of creation, and this gesture is one of creative energy. It is quite energizing, and I generally need to use grounding gestures first.If you are feeling more signals from your sympathetic, activating system- anxiety, irritability, rage- you may want to wait on this one. It is, however, extremely useful for drawing stuck, frozen energy out and mobilizing it in creativity, when you feel ready.
7.. Padma Mudra- gesture of the Lotus. The lotus is the flower that grows from the mud. This mudra, to me is in many ways the essence of healing- we hold both the space from which we have come without denying our suffering and that of others, and the space of opening to grace, potential, and connection to our gifts and purpose.
8. Samputa Mudra, the gesture of the treasure chest. Right hand held over left, as though gently holding a treasure inside. This is a mudra of holding our own truth. I use it when I am making difficult decisions, when I need to speak or create and I feel blocked, and when I feel my voice has been restricted in some way.
. 9. Hakini Mudra- the gesture of integration. Create a circle with your hands, all fingertips touching. This mudra symbolizes your inherent wholeness.
10. Bhairava Mudra- resting the back of the right hand into the left hand. This is a gesture of awakening and unity. Bhairave is actually the destroying aspect of the lord Shiva -symbolic of clearing and letting go of patterns and beliefs that do not serve us, to make space for new life.
Mudra Flow