Wholesome Resources for Mind-Body Mastery through Yoga, Meditation, Guided Imagery, Stress Relief, Wellness
Are you feeling the peace and joy of the season? Hopefully taking time for deeper quiet and reflection, and for setting the stage for renewal in the new year?
Actually, it’s too common for there to be extra stress and busyness for nearly everybody during this amazing season. It’s a particularly alarming time for folks who already are running on fumes.
Have you ever needed the benefits from yoga (energy, relaxation, clear mind, emotional balance, etc.) but couldn’t practice a pose because you were in public, not dressed for yoga, or didn’t even know how to do yoga? This happens to me several times a day! Luckily, I have found another secret that really works. It’s Yoga Mudras – yoga poses using hand positions and gestures.
I finally started taking these ancient teachings seriously while I was teaching relaxation training and guided imagery in the Bahamas last spring for the Easter/Passover Symposium on Yoga and Sacred Healing at Sivananda Ashram. Amy Weintraub (Yoga and Depression) and Joseph and Lilian LePage (Integrative Yoga Therapy) taught them as part of their presentations. This experience convinced me that Yoga Mudras are very effective, simple and profound.
As soon as I got home, I began investigating and practicing Yoga Mudras more and more. One morning I was reading a book on Yoga Mudras by Gutrud Hirschi and it described amazing results and reasons to practice Yoga Mudras. The results sounded too good to be true. Since I was suspicious, I wanted to put it to the test.
Meanwhile, I was suffering from seasonal allergies – my nose was running, my eyes were watery and itchy, and I was sneezing. So I tried Bhramara Mudra. It worked – and quickly too! Naturally I shared this with my yoga students and they also reported positive results too. We were so excited and it convinced us that Yoga Mudras have lots of valuable benefits to offer.
There are Yoga Mudras to help with allergies, feeling calm, lifting energy, headaches, chakra balancing and many more.
So, how can you learn more about yoga mudras for the hands?
1. My next 2 blog posts will show you wonderful mudras to practice. (use the RSS feed so you don’t miss out – it’s up in the right corner of this blog)
2. Attend yoga classes. See my schedule. Let me know if you would like to book me for a workshop.
3. Joseph and Lilian LePage have been studying Yoga Mudras for 10 years to write a book all about them. Their book shows 108 hand gestures along with guided meditations and affirmations. I am honored and excited that they asked me to edit the guided meditations.
This is a free guided imagery script of an imaginary walk in the woods that will renew your energy and vitality. It is published in Julie’s Yoga Meditations book and is on the CD included with the book. See below.
Time: 15 minutes
Begin by treating yourself to an enjoyable and satisfying stretch. Go ahead, it’s time to loosen up and stretch so you can reclaim your energy. That’s right. Stretch all over.
And now, please allow your entire body to settle and relax comfortably . . . if your legs or arms are crossed, please uncross them and settle yourself into whatever you are sitting or lying on.
Take in a nice big breath …fill your lungs full…and breathe out to let go from deep inside… And now, simply follow your breath in…and out…allowing each breath to refresh you on many levels.
With your eyes closed or barely open, begin to shift your attention away from the world around you to your inner world of sensations and into your imagination. It will do you good.
Take a big breath in . . . And sigh it all the way out.
Let your imagination take you
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