Mudra Monday: Kundalini Mudra
Kundalini Mudra is a posture of the hands that awakens our sexuality and unites the feminine and masculine energy in the body
Kundalini mudra is a symbol of the individual and universal Self merging together. The index finger represents our individual, internal world of mind and soul, while the four fingers of the right hand wrapped around it symbolise the external world. The thumb then represents our dormant, sacred power.
Many schools of yoga and martial arts recognise the great power of our sexuality and Kundalini mudra is a way of tapping into an electric energy that is harboured within the body. These practices are often grouped under the umbrella term Tantra Yoga, which has unfortunately become associated with the singer Sting and his wife Trudy's bedroom activities. Tantrism is in actuality an overarching term for "Tantric traditions", states David Gray in a 2016 review, that combine Vedic, yogic and meditative traditions from ancient Hinduism as well as rival Buddhist and Jain traditions. A minority of these practices are of a sexual nature, but we need to remember that the sexual organs exert a great influence on our mood. So building awareness of how they affect us and how we can harness this energy in a positive way is therefore a vital component in our physical and mental wellbeing
To perform the Mudra, the hands form a loose fist in front of the belly, as low as possible. The left index finger is extended and it slides inside the right fist from below. The right thumb is placed on top of the left index finger, while the remaining four fingers of the right hand are wrapped around it, covering it from above. Kundalini Mudra can be practiced three times a day for 15 minutes and it is thought that the energy it releases can, over time, be used to regenerate ourselves from the inside out.
Elements: All.
If you'd like to know more about Hasta Mudras you can read my introduction to the topic here and find all previous Mudra Monday blogs here.
Illustration © estudio mosa 2018
