Meaning Behind the Mudra: Ushas Mudra ‘Dawn Mudra’ for new Beginnings & Positive Change

Meaning Behind the Mudra: Ushas Mudra ‘Dawn Mudra’ for new Beginnings & Positive Change

If you’ve been listening to wellness podcasts and in-the-know speakers recently (like Rich Roll, Dr. Rangan Chattergee’s Feel Better Live More, or interviews with international experts on the London Real podcast) you’ll have heard a lot of guests including authors, biohackers, bodyworkers, meditation teachers and even prisoner-turned Nike athlete John Mcavoy who spent a considerable part of his life in solitary isolation, speaking about the importance of this pause in time we’re currently experiencing. It’s only when we’re forced to stop our habits and usual routines, and told to hop off the roundabout of unconscious daily decisions we make, that we’re actually able to stand back and observe how we’ve been living. Before the majority of the world moved into COVID-19-induced lockdown, many of us were probably pretty much blind to how we were living, acting, thinking and decision-making. Before March 2020, many of us were probably stressed and overwhelmed, felt ‘too busy’, or were so addicted to the cortisol rush of a coping with a busy work life, obeying a packed social calendar and pushing ourselves through each week, that our bodies were running on adrenaline just trying to keep up. Yep, when life is put on pause, we have an opportunity to observe ourselves and consider; when we press the ‘play’ button on life again, do we really want things to return to how they were? Ushas Mudra is great to focus the mind on new beginnings and the future.

Setting Intentions

It’s usually New Year’s Eve, a birthday, or the beginning of a sacred journey that we set intentions and make resolutions. Deciding to let go of one thing and summon in something positive is indeed often reserved for the times when we reach one of life’s milestones. What we may not consider however, is that we can actually start again whenever we want. Making a positive life change doesn’t have to wait until Monday morning, next year, or ‘when I’m feeling better’. It doesn’t have to come at the cost of pain or emotional trauma. We can choose to pause – change – and play life whenever we want. The thing is, life is way too busy to even think about pausing most of the time. Consider however, the way you feel right now; if you’re isolating, do your stress levels feel lower? Do you feel more present? Is your body grateful for the change of pace? If the answer to any of those was ‘yes’, it’s likely that you’ll benefit from leaving those post-coronavirus stresses behind, and make a conscious decision as to what you’ll bring back into life once we press play again.

Ushas Mudra Meditation

Whenever you notice a space in your day that you could use to meditate, perhaps spend a few moments reflecting upon how you’d like your life to look when we return to the ‘new normal’. Can you visualise a realistic and positive future for yourself? Can you see in your mind’s eye how you want to live? Can you also notice what you’d benefit from leaving behind?

Ushas Mudra is a wonderful way to focus the mind on new beginnings, and set intentions for a future with positive change. Named after the goddess Ushas, the goddess of the dawn who is said to bring light to the world each morning and banish oppressive darkness, the mudra symbolises and harnesses the energy of creativity and life, and setting things in motion. Each morning, Ushas provides us with a new dawn, a new day, and the opportunity to start again. In the ancient Rig Veda texts, Ushas is ‘the most exalted goddess’, portrayed as a beautiful woman riding a golden chariot across the sky, leading the way for Surya the sun god to bring forth the sun.

Practice

  • ushas-mudraTo practice this mudra, interlace the fingers so that the palms are facing your body, and the thumb tips are touching. For males, it’s traditional to place the right thumb on top, and for females the left.
  • Rest your hands in your lap and visualise a dawn sky, peace, quietness and the hint of a rising sun
  • As you visualise this, begin to bring into your awareness positive changes you want to make in your life. See yourself living and feeling how you want to live. Make the images in your mind as vibrant and realistic as you can.
  • Either silently or out loud, chant the mantra Om Ushase Namaha to invoke Ushas’ energy.
  • Continue the practice for as long as feels comfortable, then continue with your day with more positive intentions in mind.

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