MUDRAS
 

A Mudra (Sanskrit word meaning sign or seal) is a gesture or position, usually of the hands, that locks and guides energy flow and reflexes to the brain. By curling, crossing, stretching and touching the fingers and hands, we can "talk" to the body and mind as each area of the hand corresponds to a certain part of the mind or body.

From the little finger to the thumb: each finger represents earth, metal, fire, wood, and water, respectively. The entire universe  lies within your ten fingers and it is also said that there is an infinite number of Mudras even though we only have 10 fingers. Mudras can be used both for meditation and/or healing.

How to do a Mudra
Mudras are easy to do and when used with Reiki you can usually feel the energy flow strongly. Start each Mudra session by "washing" your hands (rub your hands against each other about 10 times, hold hands before your Navel Chakra) this will help energy to flow in your hands. If you have Reiki II you can draw the Power symbol and the Mental/Emotional symbol over your hands (or any other symbol that you prefer). Sit with your back straight, either with legs crossed or on a straight backed chair. Put your fingers together as described in the Mudras below. In each Mudra, exert enough pressure to feel the flow of energy but not enough to whiten fingertips.

The Om Mudra This is probably one of the most well known Mudras and is very easy to do.   How to do it: Start by "washing" your hands as explained above, add symbols if wanted. Sit with a straight back. Create the sacred OM mudra by connecting the index finger with the thumb on the same hand (both hands). The thumb is the gateway to Divine Will (represented by the Crown Chakra) and the index finger is the Ego (represented by the Navel Chakra). As you do this Mudra you can do an affirmation or just chant OM (pronounced AUM). If doing the affirmation say to yourself when you breathe in: "I am one with the Universe" and as you breathe out "The Universe and I are one". This mudra is very good when your life is in need of peace and tranquility.
The Smiling Buddha Mudra This is one of my favorites and you might have seen this mudra also in paintings and statues. This is a gesture and exercise of happiness as it opens the flow of energy to the heart.
How to do it: Sit comfortably either with crossed legs or on a straight backed chair. Bend ring and little fingers, pressing them down with the thumbs, keeping index and middle fingers straight (be comfortable do not force the fingers straight), palms forward. Elbows in towards the body (as far as it feels comfortable for you) and keep a 30 degree angle between the upper arms and forearms, keep the forearms parallel to each other.	Concentrate on your Third Eye and mentally chant (at the Third Eye) Sa Ta Na Ma ("Sa" - Infinity, "Ta" - Life, Existence, "Na" - Death, "Ma" - Rebirth, Light). Can be done without the chant but try to at least concentrate on your Third Eye. Keep elbows in towards your body and your chest out (straight back). Continue for about 10 minutes, then inhale deeply, exhale, open and close the fists several times, and relax. Enjoy the experience!

Mudra set for balancing energy
Set of four mudras for balancing energy that are used in a sequence.
Alternately touch the tips of each finger with the tip of your thumb. Keep each connected for a few seconds or longer and do for a few minutes total. Do this with both hands simultaneously.

This is a simple way of balancing your energy that you can do almost anywhere, while sitting, standing, walking, lying down.
The overall effect is that you get calmer, more relaxed and concentrated.
The separate mudras (hand positions) have the following effects:
 

Thumb touches tip of index finger
Opens the Root chakra, and moves more energy to the legs and lower body. Makes one calmer and more concentrated.

Thumb touches tip of middle finger
Fosters patience.

Thumb touches tip of ring finger
Energy, stability and self-confidence.

Thumb touches tip of pinky finger
Intuition and feeling.

Mudras – Healing Hand Positions
Mudras are easy to perform at anytime, although sitting in the lotus position and focusing on the healing can be an advantage.
Although mudras can be used for healing certain ailments, regular practise of mudras will contribute to your overall good health and can be used as a preventive measure.
Continuous practice of the mudras will create minute changes in your body using pulse centres on parts of your hands, which trigger certain healing processes within the corresponding body part.
Mudras are to be performed with both hands at the same time, unless otherwise specified.
Start with 10 minutes at a time and increase up to 3/4 hour for best results.
Fingers should remain comfortable during the procedure and not held stiffly or tight.
SHUNYA MUDRA & VAYU MUDRA SHOULD ONLY BE PERFORMED UNTIL THE CURING OF THE AILMENT!

 

Gyan Mudra Description: The thumb and index finger are brought together gently while all the other fingers remain upright. Uses include: Mental Peace Concentration Sharp Memory Spirituality Insomnia Mental Disorders Stress Depression Drowsiness Develops telepathic ablilities Developes clairvoyant and extra-sensory ablilities
Apan Vayu (Mrit Sanjivini) Mudra Description: Fold the forefinger to touch the mound of the thumb. The little finger should be held erect. Then place tips of middle finger and ring finger together on tip of thumb all touching each other. (BOTH HANDS) Uses include: Strengthens heart Emergency first aid for severe heart attack if administered within 2 seconds. Self Confidence Normalises blood pressure Vomiting Menstruation related problems Purifies the entire body
Rudra(Prana) Mudra Description: Place tips of index finger and ring finger together on top of the tip of thumb, with other fingers extended comfortably. (BOTH HANDS) Uses include: Dizziness Improves blood circulation Brings clarity in thought. Low blood pressure Improves eyesight Improves breathing Controls eating habits Blocked Veins Improves concentration
Apan Mudra Description: Place tips of thumb, middle finger and ring finger together in each hand. (BOTH HANDS) Uses include: Liver Gall Bladder Removes wastes products Toxic release Bladder problems Balances mind Self confidence Patience Serenity Inner Harmony
Prithvi (Surya) Mudra Description: Place the tip of the ring finger on top of the tip of the thumb. Extend all the other fingers and keep them comfortably straight as possible.(BOTH HANDS) Uses include: Liver Inner stablity Self Assurance Stomach Strengthens body and mind Glowing skin Increases energy
Shankha Mudra Description: The left thumb should be held in the right fist and then the left indoex finger should touch the right thumb.Put light pressure with the remaining fingers of the left hand onto the closed fist fo the right hand. Swap over sides. Uses include: Thyroid Glands. Throat Blood Vessels Muscular System Digestion Good for actors and singers for voice enhancement
Jalodar Naasha Mudra Description: Place thumb down on little finger and keep all remaining three fingers comfortably straight Uses include: To enhance beauty Removes impurities from the blood Restores moisture to skin Painful cramps
Shunya Mudra Description: Place thumb down on middle finger and keep all remaining three fingers comfortably straight. Uses include: Relief from Earache Deafness Vertigo Numbness in the body
Vayu Mudra Description: Place thumb down on index finger and keep all remaining three fingers comfortably straight. Uses include: Relief from Rheumatism Sciatica Stiff Neck Knee Pain Gout Joint Pain in hands and feet Paralysis Hysteria
Linga Mudra Description: Join your palms in front of your chest and lock the facing fingers together keeping your thumbs upright. Hold for 3 minutes, release and repeat twice. Uses include: Weight Reduction Colds and Coughs Strengthens lungs Digestion NOTE : Make sure you drink plenty of water as Linga Mudra generates heat in your body. If your already obesse with excess water in body, then avoid drinking more.
Varuna Mudra Description: Join your little finger to the tip of your thumb. Keep other fingers comfortably straight. Uses include: Dry skin Blood problems Restores moisture to the body Relaxes muscles ~ cramp Diarrhea and dehydration To enhance beauty
Surabhi Mudra Description: Join the little finger and ring finger, then join the middle finger and index finger together. This pose can also be called “cow posture” as the mudra makes cloven hooves of your hands. Uses include: Rheumatic inflammation Sharpens your intellect
Surahi Mudra Description: Join the little finger of one hand with the ring finger of the other and vice versa.
Opening the Chakras Chakra meditations that use mudras and sounds to open chakras These chakra meditations use mudras, which are special hand positions, to open chakras. The mudras have the power to send more energy to particular chakras. To enhance the effect, sounds are chanted. These sounds are from Sanskrit letters. When chanted, they cause a resonation in your body that you can feel at the chakra they are meant for. For pronunciation, keep in mind that: the "A" is pronounced as in "ah," the "M" is pronounced as "mng." Do a meditation for 7 - 10 breaths. Chant the sound several times each breath (for example three times). Check out these recommendations on working with your chakras.
Open the Root Chakra Let the tips of your thumb and index finger touch. Concentrate on the Root chakra at the spot in between the genitals and the anus. Chant the sound LAM.
Open the Sacral Chakra Put your hands in your lap, palms up, on top of each other. Left hand underneath, its palm touching the back of the fingers of the right hand. The tips of the thumbs touch gently. Concentrate on the Sacral chakra at the sacral bone (on the lower back). Chant the sound VAM.
Open the Solar Plex  Chakra Put your hands before your stomach, slightly below your solar plexus. Let the fingers join at the tops, all pointing away from you. Cross the thumbs. It is important to straighten the fingers. Concentrate on the Navel chakra located on the spine, a bit above the level of the navel. Chant the sound RAM.
Open the Heart Chakra Sit cross-legged. Let the tips of your index finger and thumb touch. Put your left hand on your left knee and your right hand in front of the lower part of your breast bone (so a bit above the solar plexus). Concentrate on the Heart chakra at the spine, level with the heart. Chant the sound YAM.
Open the Throat Chakra Cross your fingers on the inside of your hands, without the thumbs. Let the thumbs touch at the tops, and pull them slightly up. Concentrate on the Throat chakra at the base of the throat. Chant the sound HAM.
Open the Third Eye Chakra Put your hands before the lower part of your breast. The middle fingers are straight and touch at the tops, pointing forward. The other fingers are bended and touch at the upper two phalanges. The thumbs point towards you and touch at the tops. Concentrate on the Third Eye chakra slightly above the point between the eyebrows. Chant the sound OM or AUM.
Open the Crown Chakra Put your hands before your stomach. Let the ring fingers point up, touching at their tops. Cross the rest of your fingers, with the left thumb underneath the right. Concentrate on the Crown chakra at the top of your head. Chant the sound NG. Warning: don't use this meditation for the Crown chakra while you don't have a strong Root chakra (you need a strong foundation first).

DOWSING

Pendulum Dowsing

What is a pendulum?

A pendulum can be a crystal, pendant, or metal hanging object suspended on a piece of ribbon, thread or chain. The object should not be too light and should be of a substantial weight hanging straight, to work efficiently. The choosing of a pendulum will be a very individual and personal thing. Everyone will have their own preference regarding the choice of which pendulum is right for or will work for them, (e.g. one may have preference to a pendant worn around their neck, whilst another may prefer to carry a pendulum around in a pouch in their pocket etc). Only you will know what’s right for you - let your intuition guide you and go with what you feel!
What are they for?
Pendulums are primarily used for dowsing. Dowsing’s primary function is to find an answer/solution to a question/problem. People have used dowsing for centuries to divine for water, to find lay-lines, to aid one in decision-ma­king or even to look for missing persons!

How will I know if it will work for me?

There are many different methods to find out if a pendulum will work for you or not. One of the most basic and reliable methods of testing is to ask the pendulum directly through a series of specific questions!
First hold the pendulum suspended by the chain/thread etc, in your hand of preference so that it hangs straight and still. Then ask the pendulum “Please show me with clarity and truth your answer for yes” the pendulum should start to swing back and forth or move in a clockwise/anticlockwise rotation. Note which way the pendulum moves. Then ask your pendulum to “ show you with clarity and truth an answer for no”, again note which way the pendulum moves (it should move differently to that of the yes answer). Once you have determined which way the pendulum answers “yes” and “no”, it is wise to test it with questions you know the answer to (the pendulum should move “yes” for “yes” answers and “no” for “no” ones accordingly) - in doing this you will know whether or not the pendulum will work with you truthfully and for the highest good of one and all (this should primarily always be the case). If the pendulum either does not move or gives the wrong answers to the questions you know, don’t use it, it is most likely this pendulum is not the right one for you so try another one! When you have found one that will work with you, that’s all there really is to the choosing of your pendulum! You have found your pendulum!

Crystal pendulums

Crystal pendulums have the added benefit of combining the healing benefits/properties of the crystal with a tool for dowsing. At Little Gems we have an assortment of crystal pendulums for you to choose from. E.g.: Clear quartz, Amethyst, Smokey quartz, Rose Quartz, Fluorite, Obsidian, Jasper, Agate and many more etc…(good problem solving ones are Agate, Carnelian, Tourmaline, Rutilated Quartz, Quartz and Obsidian!) You could choose a crystal pendulum which is specifically related to what its use will be for, e.g.: - for dowsing in love matters or relationships, etc…Rose Quartz would be ideal!

Enjoy using your pendulum!

Once purchasing your pendulum you can use it whenever you want. You will find it so useful and helpful in dowsing for all sorts of things, you won’t want to leave the house without it! Infact it will work all the better if you are able to keep/carry/wear your pendulum on or with you as often as possible (it will attune with your vibration and therefore work more effectively for you). Always keep your pendulum safe however, and for your own personal use only - this way you can be sure it will help and work solely for you and not be interfered by another’s vibrations (which could effect the clarity and truth of an answer in whatever it is you are dowsing)!
It is also a good idea to get into the habit before dowsing to ask your pendulum whether it “will work for you today”(don’t forget to always ask it to show you the answer with clarity and truth). It may be that occasionally for whatever reason it may not want to work. This could be for any number of reasons e.g.: the question is not clear/specific enough, or it is undecided on the answer/it is not the right time to give an answer - if this happens, ask again later, and if it repeatedly happens leave it and try another day. May be you already know your answer deep down or maybe non-action is required to the question involved! So it would be wise to be prudent and patient in getting your answer - the more you use your pendulum, the more you’ll recognize and know the answers automatically to respective questions. Most of all enjoy using your pendulum - I wouldn’t be without mine!

Tips for Accurate Pendulum Dowsing

I’d like to offer you a few tips beyond my basic dowsing instructions to make your pendulum dowsing practice more effective.  Not only will these techniques help you to be more accurate, they will also allow you to begin tuning into your inner intuitive responses while you dowse.

1. Don’t look at your pendulum while you dowse. Some pendulum dowsers have a habit of staring at the pendulum, which offers a lot of opportunity for mental interference energy.  Plus, dowsing is a bridge of sorts to inner intuitive development.  Focusing your attention exclusively on your pendulum detracts from additional information beyond the swing of your pendulum that may come through internal intuitive channels.  So try closing your eyes during pendulum dowsing.

2. Focus your attention on the question, not the answer. Some pendulum dowsers are so focused on getting an answer that they barely pay attention to the question.  But in pendulum dowsing, your accuracy is entirely determined on the quality of the question.  Focusing your attention on the question clarifies your intention, and gets your mind out of the way so that your subconscious can’t jump in and answer for you.

3. Don’t stop your pendulum from swinging. I’ve observed some people manually halt their pendulums during dowsing.  That’s pretty disruptive to the energy flow of your pendulum dowsing practice!  There’s no need for the pendulum to stop swinging before you ask your next question.  Just keep asking your next question – your pendulum will reverse itself fairly quickly if it needs to in order to give you accurate information.

10 REASONS TO LEARN REIKI

1. Reiki connects you to universal energy so you can heal yourself whenever you feel the need. You can balance your body, mind and spirit by spending some time each day devoted to self-healing.

2. If you are feeling that there is something missing in your life that you can’t quite pin point, chances are that it’s your spirituality. By learning Reiki you are re-connected to your higher self, which means you will become far more intuitive, enabling you to make better decisions and to feel far more ‘whole’.

3.  Stress is recognised as a major contributor to so many illnesses in modern society. Reiki has an extremely calming effect, filling you with a sense of inner peace and serenity that will ensure that stress won’t rule your life. You will gain a sense of real self-purpose and inner clarity that may have eluded you previously.

4.  Our lifestyles are incredibly busy and this takes a toll on our bodies as well as other areas of our life. Through continual self-healing at a physical level you can not only help to prevent illnesses occurring but you can use Reiki on actual physical injuries and problems from mild back pain to cancer. Reiki can help with any illness.

5.  If you feel that your life lacks direction learning Reiki re-connects you with your true purpose in life and will leave you feeling far more focused about where you need to be heading and directing all your precious resources. Many people spend years feeling they are in the wrong job or wrong situation and Reiki opens your mind up to the things that you really need, perhaps not want but need. There is nothing quite so liberating.

6.  Many people often feel that they are taking so much from life and yet giving so little back and are completely unsure of how to rectify this situation. If you take a Reiki course to practitioner level you are able to heal others as well as yourself. There is nothing quite like healing other people to make you appreciate your own situation and bring comfort to your life. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to share your gift of healing helping someone else who so desperately needs it and bringing happiness to someone else’s life.

7.  Reiki has the potential to turn your whole life around for the better if you self heal every day and listen to your intuition. Your whole life becomes clearer and you really do realise what is important in life and what you can do without. Everything is put into perspective and you learn to appreciate so many things and really learn who are your friends and who are just using you. 

8.  Most people have emotional traumas in their life and what many do not realise is that the energy from these traumas is carried with you and has a negative effect on you, possibly for your whole life. Our traumas hold us back in life stalling self-development. By using Reiki on yourself you can remove the energy attached to those traumas so you will no longer feel any pain associated with the event. Once this has been achieved you are finally free to be yourself. 

9.  It is easy to get trapped in the cycle of old lifestyle patterns and issues, for example: following the same faddy diets that don’t work, making new years resolutions you know you will break every year, getting trapped by financial issues, working too hard, struggling in relationships. This can continue for your whole life. Reiki can change the way you deal with life, the way you deal with situations and relationships in a way that is much healthier for you. It might not happen in a conscious way but you will find that for instance someone who takes advantage of you normally will get a shock when you defend yourself and demand greater respect. You learn to love yourself more and also to love others but in a way that allows them to learn their lessons and never take you for granted.

10.  The founder of Reiki Mikao Usui said that Reiki was the ‘art of inviting happiness’. This is very true. If you ask anyone if they are honestly really happy I doubt you will get a resounding yes from the majority. People often misconceive what real happiness is and associate it with wealth, material possessions or a successful career. Happiness is about so much more than that. Happiness comes from a profound understanding of the universe and knowing your place in the universe. If you choose to learn Reiki you will be set on the path to enlightenment. For some this is a short path, for others a much longer one but once you know you are on it you find what happiness is. Reiki is not just another complementary therapy it is the way of the universe.

STRESS REMEDIES

Stress is a feeling that's created when we react to particular events. It's the body's method of rising to a confront and prepare to meet a tough state of affairs with focus, strength, stamina, and sharp alertness.

The events that provoke stress are called stressors, and they cover a whole range of situations — everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester's worth of your toughest subject.

Stress is simply a fact of nature -- forces from the outer world affecting the personality. The individual responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as their environment.

Hence, all living creatures are in a constant interchange with their surroundings (the ecosystem), both physically and behaviorally.

Effective Home Remedies for Stress, Please visit http://www.getallabout.com/natural-home-remedies/home-remedies-for-stress.htm

Causes of Stress

1.    Death: of spouse, family, friend
2.    Health: injury, illness, pregnancy
3.    Crime: Sexual molestation, mugging, burglary, pick-pocketed
4.    Self-abuse: drug abuse, alcoholism, self-harm
5.    Family change: separation, divorce, new baby, marriage
6.    Sexual problems: getting partner, with partner
7.    The demands of the job
8.    The control staff have over how they do their work

Symptoms of Stress

Stress symptoms may be moving your health, even though you might not realize it. You may think illness is to blame for that nagging headache, your frequent forgetfulness or your decreased productivity at work.

But sometimes stress is to blame. Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior.

Treatment of stress

It's important to make time for work out. Exercise helps to use up the stress hormones that cause your symptoms, giving you a sense of wellbeing and helping your muscles to relax. Even a brisk walk for 30 minutes every a day can help.

Another good way to tackle stress is to talk to your associates or family - sharing your worries can help you to look at how you react to stress in a new light.

It's important to talk directly to your manager if you're suffering from work-related stress. Your manager has a duty to take reasonable steps to try to resolve the problem.

 

Stress Remedies

In case you feel any stress... these are good remedies.

Stress Management

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked,

how heavy is this glass of water?

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied:

The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

He continued:

And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.

Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!

How to Deal with the Burdens of Life

Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

Never buy a car you can't push.

Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

Since the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

The second mouse gets the cheese.

When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

You are Unique

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you.