Mudra Shastra
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Mudra Shastra is the science of gestures. It involves making specific gestures using our fingers which results in pressure being applied to specific points on the fingers or palms. Using mudras in conjunction with asanas and breathing amplifies the benefits of yoga practice. Mudra Shastra believes our health is literally in your own hands. The nerve endings at the tips of our fingers when pressed in a particular manner/combination can have desirous effects on ability to focus, to concentrate, improve digestion, control blood pressure, control diabetes, help to detoxify etc. Yoga and Ayurveda believe that our body is made of the five elements and each of the fingers represents one of the five elements in the body - thumb is agni (fire), index finger is vayu (air), middle finger is akash (sky), ring finger is prithvi (earth), and small finger is jal (water).
Mudras can be practiced anytime and anywhere irrespective of whether you are standing or sitting and a cumulative 45-minute practice throughout the day done every day for a couple of months can help one deal with chronic pain, metabolism issues, sleep issues, manage symptoms of auto immune disorders. The idea being that the nerve endings at the finger tips and the palm have a direct and vital link to all the major organs of the body and by applying the right amount of pressure to specific points one can cure oneself or at the very least reduce pain or manage symptoms.
