Hand Gestures During Meditation

[Michael569]

In Leo's concentration video, this was one of the suggested things to focus on. Your thumb and index finger create a pressure which becomes a source of your focus. 

However I've read that many of ancient oriental Mudras actually had healing or other spiritual purposes like elevating anxiety, energy circulation, increasing positivity, acceptance. 

Haven't tried myself and not sure I believe in them either but wanted to ask you guys whether you've tried any Mudras and whether they had any effect on you whatsoever? 

[Prabhaker]

31 minutes ago, Michael569 said:

whether they had any effect on you whatsoever? 

Just sit silently and allow your fingers to have their own movement. Feel the movement from the inside. Don’t try to see it from the outside, so keep your eyes closed. Let the energy flow more and more into the hands. Don’t force any pattern, whatsoever is the need of the energy it will take that form. Just sitting silently, play, allow the hands.  If your fingers can be allowed total freedom of expression many many tensions accumulated are released.

[Arman]

From what I've gathered, mudras and other advanced yogic practices are usually better left as either taken on by someone with a more adept energetic understanding and good knowledge of the practices, - or as prescribed by an experienced teacher. Some practices can accelerate development or shifts but can also cause imbalances if practiced incorrectly or overdone. 

When practicing a few years ago I was using a few mudras/bhandas(sp?) as per the system of yoga I was using. One was placing the tongue on the roof of your mouth, another was contraction of the groin/perineum (like doing kegals) during part of the breathwork. These are two examples. There were others as well as hand postures but I don't remember them as well. I believe that even seemingly subtle tools like these can create huge impact. These were generally recommended as to be added slowly and patiently to your exercises after a long time of practice that has proved balanced and grounded. I didn't really listen to those warning and just took em all on, and over time was bit in the ass for this mistake and became unbalanced and experienced discomforts for a long time until I became balanced again. 

Once there is enough bodily awareness through practice then subtle energies in the body are more easily experienced. Things like what fingers you place together seem to have an effect on how you feel in your body. I would say not to worry about them and just use your own bodies guidance system to sit in whatever way feels comfortable, as the intelligence of the body usually knows best. Sometimes even spontaneous mudras will occur in peoples practice and it can be quite worrying for someone to find that their hand or body is spontaneously contorting in a strange way. 

If you'd like advice from those with long-term experience with these kinds of yoga practices try the message board on aypsite.org 

Edited April 5, 2017 by Arman

[Michael569]

@Arman thanks, awesome explanation! I'll take your advice and just leave it be for now. Also not sure if I want to base my results on some external "forces" that I have no knowledge about. 

I suppose the Law of Attractions play a big role as well. If you believe it works for you, it will..

[Spiral]

Does not matter at all, I like to put them on my knees.