Mudras (hand gestures) have been in existence for thousands of years. It is an ancient to facilitate the flow of energy in our body. I was quite skeptical when I was hearing about it for the first time. How can the mere positioning of our fingers control the different elements of our body — namely fire, air, space, earth, and water?
When I went to India for my Yoga Teachers Training, I challenged myself to just bring the bare essentials — a carry-on duffle bag for my clothes and a big purse for my valuables. And so I simply forgot to bring my meds for my acid reflux. As expected, due to the drastic change in my diet and routine, it didn't last a week before it started to manifest. There was no pharmacy in the area, and it was too difficult to move around without a Hindi-speaking companion. So I had no choice — I turned to my newfound handy dandy remedy. I placed the tip of my pointer at the base of the thumb to decrease air and waited.
After a few minutes, I had to stand up and move away from people as the air was coming out of my body from above and below. Well, to put it bluntly, they're called burps and farts. Ever since my mudra experience, I've been managing my gastric and digestive tract disorders and even my chronic migraine without any oral medication. I haven't swallowed a single mefenamic acid or antacid pill for six years — and counting.
Recently, my appreciation of Mudras was renewed at a whole new level. I hosted a group of campers over the weekend and the weather was quite unpredictable. I was exposed to sudden changes in weather conditions, sweating from the heat to getting rain showered on and off until past midnight — without being cognizant of changing my top. When I woke up the following day, I knew that there was something wrong with my system. I felt feverish without the temp. I needed a quick fix as I needed to wrap up the campers' experience for a few more hours. I sat for 15 minutes, did some breathwork, and meditated while doing Apana Vayu mudra.
I felt a flux of energy swirling in and around the interior space of my body, which ended with a jolt-like surge of energy — similar to the kind of jerk that we experience when we doze off into a power nap.
When I opened my eyes, I felt refreshed and energized.
I was good as new!
I know that Mudras have no solid scientific backing. But as long as it works, why not use it. In this case, the end does justify the means.
