PRANA MUDRA [English]

 Small introduction to the science of mudras and an approach to one of the most powerful hand gestures

A girl who marked my life in the long term was a Colombian living in San Diego. I met her during a long trip to the United States. I was couchsurfing at her sister's house, a very cheerful architect and Zumba teacher. At that time, my experience with angels was very recent (that deserves another blog... or ten). I had less than three weeks of following that impulse. Let's just say, before that, I was a pretty lukewarm artist and yoga practitioner. I believe a lot in science, I have always believed, and even now my friends say that I have too much faith in it. I used to make fun of people who claimed to have experiences like the ones I was going through very recently. I saw and still see yoga as a very logical practice aimed at putting the body in its best state in order to be the ideal temple, a state required to get yourself feel the union with the absolute. Now I will briefly talk about one of the yogic practices that help in different levels to reach that final union: the importance of mudras.

Although I had been having an experience that could be described as supernatural, if this yogini had not explained the science of mudras to me with the same logic that an acupuncturist explains to you how the activation of energy meridians works with the intervention of steel needles, I wouldn't have listened. At this point I don't remember what had happened to me, but I wasn´t living my best physical moment. This introduction to mudras piqued my curiosity and I decided to investigate. It was 2014 and there was not yet much reliable research or text on this topic available in English. The little I found was not as precise as the explanation I had received first hand, so I decided to apply it simply and without going beyond the parameters I had received. The first mudra that surprised me and whose effects I drastically benefited from was Prana Mudra.

Mudra means gesture, and when we now speak of mudras we are generally referring to the Hasta Mudras or hand gestures. What we want to achieve with them is an energetic balance, remove an excess from some parts of our physical and/or subtle bodies, and activate other parts when needed. Its not that easy. Deciding which mudras to use depends, among other things, on what type of dosha governs you. Dosha literally means defect, and it is considered in Ayurvedic medicine to be the defining characteristic of health. Doshas do not refere to elegant elements like water or fire, which are elements that we also contain. There are only three: wind (this is where the beauty ends), bile and phlegm. Of course, these doshas not only guide our possibilities in health, that is, how we recover, what foods are better for us than others in certain circumstances, etc., but they also speak of the emotions with which we would be more aligned.

Prana Mudra is one of the mudras that can be practiced by anyone regardless of their dosha under certain circumstances. That's what makes it so valuable. But the practice of a mudra requires rigor. You can do it for less time than prescribed and still get benefits. However, a serious energy imbalance can be caused if a defined time is exceeded for a certain purpose. During my trip, and having a history of very heavy bronchitis throughout my youth, I made a preventive practice to maintain my immune system in optimal conditions, so I did mini meditations of three minutes in Prana Mudra every day.

How is Prana Mudra performed?

As you can see in the photos, join the tips of your thumbs with those of your little fingers and ring fingers, exerting mild pressure. When I say mild, that is, mild. They are touching, and a little more. Period.

How does Prana Mudra work?

The thumb is the fire element, and as such, it is the regulating part of the equation. It turns the other items on or off. In this case, you are activating the water (pinky) and earth (ring) elements of the physical and subtle planes. If you want to go a little further with the energy information, this mudra influences the physical, etheric and mental bodies. The way in which this stimulus is performed produces a light and electromagnetic (measurable) regulation in the body. That is why it is called Prana, which means Vital Energy or Universal Energy. There are two main benefits; to regulate the immune system (it activates a weakened immune system or relaxes an overstimulated one) and to raise vital energy when you feel exhausted or lack stamina. Usually, this is related to symptoms of imbalance in the first two energy centers, which are precisely governed by the elements earth (first energy center or Muladara chakra) and water (second, or Svadistana chakra). It also helps in situations where one feels very fearful, and this most likely indicates that the connection with the Earth has been lost. A Yogi or Ayurvedic doctor would probably prescribe being in direct contact with the earth for a certain amount of time each day, and practicing Prana Mudra.

I already mentioned that I practiced Prana Mudra per three minutes a day to strengthen my immune system. It was January in San Diego, which might seem like a summer in Lima, but I was going North, to Chicago, to Boston, where it was minus 20 degrees Celsius. In fact, that information was perfect for me. In Chicago I spent it walking around the city - yes, minus 20 - almost every day, except one that went down to minus 23. Honestly, I don't know how people go running in shorts (literally, and without thermic underwear) in that city. It is a difficult feat to digest for a Peruvian, seriously. They may be Russians, or Canadians. God knows. The fact is that when I got to Boston, the snow was up to my neck. I don't know if it was the impression, because the thermometer showed the same temperature as Chicago, and in fact there was considerably less wind, but the second night I had a fever. I panicked. My couchsurfing host freaked out more. He wanted to buy me medicine. I said, could you please buy me some ginger, honey and lemon? He got out immediately. In the meantime, I stayed doing the prescribed meditation on Prana mudra. But this time it was for 15 minutes. The thing is like this: when there is an infection, whether viral or bacterial, 15 minutes three times a day until you feel well. I felt better. When he arrived, my fever had already gone down a little. Then I had my ginger tea and slept. I woke up apparently without a fever, did my 15 minutes of practice and it was gone. There was no bronchitis. There was no flu. There was nothing. What would have become of me with a lung infection during the Massachusetts winter? I rather not think of it.

I have also been successful in other circumstances, such as when I got covid. I had a fever for only two or three days, which never reached 38 C, and despite the fact that I was going through sad personal circumstances at the time, my symptoms went away, and my sense of smell returned quickly (although I must confess that I consumed all the B complex to encourage my olfactory nerve to come back to life).

Something else about mudras: when you are afraid or need more energy and want to connect with the earth, do your meditation in direct contact between your skin and the earth, and with your palms facing down like the first photo. When you want to raise your energy and maintain yourself, perform your mudra with your palms facing up. You can also do it while walking or reading. But watch your time.

The practice of this particular mudra is not the solution to all of our problems, but you can certainly receive its effects and support other practices or paths to recover and move forward in life.