We have the power to change how we feel in our very own hands. Mudras – symbolic gestures made most often with the hands – have been used for thousands of years to change and direct energy of the body and mind. Mudras can help focus our attention upon a specific outcome or feeling, and wherever attention goes, energy flows. Have you ever heard the expression ‘You get what you focus on, so focus on what you want’? Mudras are a powerful way of helping us focus on where we want our energy to go, and what we want to cultivate within ourselves. Adi Mudra specifically, can help us remove fears and worries and clear the mind.

Raise Your Vibration

How ‘well’ we are is linked to how high a frequency we’re vibrating. The world is made up of vibrations and waves, and generally the higher we’re vibrating, the healthier we’re more likely to be. The immune system for instance – other than benefitting from good physical health and diet – is thought to work a whole lot better if we’re feeling mentally well and our energy is vibrating at a high frequency. Things like positive thinking, meditation, yoga, expressing gratitude, connecting to nature, having a purpose, and nurturing healthy relationships all help to raise our vibration.

As one of the most ancient yoga practices, we can use mudras on a daily basis to help generate more positivity, and the good news is that positive energy tends to radiate outward and impact the world around us. Most of us know first-hand that when we feel good, we’re more likely to be a force of good in the world around us, sending out a ripple effect of positivity to those we interact with. In a world where things are quite unpredictable at the moment then, Adi mudra is something we can all practice regularly and keep in our hands.

Adi Mudra

The Sanskrit root word ‘adi’ loosely translates as ‘first’ or ‘primal’, and is used to help relax the nervous system and calm the mind, removing fears and worries. Knowing a little of the Sanskrit language can really help us understand the intention of the mudra, and it seems from this translation that this ‘primal’ or ‘first’ mudra is possibly one of the most important, and enables us to strip away thoughts we do not need, in order to connect with those that matter.

In a world that can feel decidedly not calm much of the time, we benefit from focussing upon the calmness we’re able to generate within ourselves. Our true essence and our true self is one of calmness, contentment and peace, and when we’re able to glimpse at what it feels like to make contact with sensations of calm, our minds tend to hold less chatter, we have more clarity, and our actions have more purpose. Like many other yogic techniques, Adi mudra can provide the pathway back to what it feels like to be our true and unshakable selves.

Practice

To practice Adi mudra, curl your thumb into the centre of your palm and wrap your fingers around it to create a fist.

Bring your hands together at the centre of your abdomen where Manipura Chakra is – the energetic point that holds feelings of power, determination and inner strength.

Close your eyes and breathe calmly, repeating the mantra: ‘I let go of all fears, I am calm, I am centred, I am clear’.