Listing both the organ functions and the emotional attitudes, this annotated map of the hand may give you some additional guidance for self-care with mudras.
A Sanskrit word meaning “seal” or “closure,” a mudra is an ancient hand position or spiritual gesture common to Buddhism and Hinduism. There are more than one hundred mudras across the various disciplines, and if you have had experience with yoga and meditation, some of them may be familiar to you. You may have also seen them depicted in drawings or paintings of the Buddha, who often holds mudras while sitting in meditation, or in classical Indian dance.
Powerful rituals known to stimulate peace, health, compassion, and overall well-being, mudras engage the whole body. Jiro Murai experimented with many of the mudras during his initial explorations into the Art of Jin Shin, eventually selecting and passing along to his students the eight he found most effective at stimulating energetic changes.
Simple, beautiful, and centering, the positions work across multiple energetic fields. Each of the fingers and the palm of the hand correspond with a specific emotion and a pair of organ functions, enabling the hand postures to stimulate key energy pathways throughout the body. The mudras’ energetic span is vast, including relationships to the five elements, astrological signs, planets, colors, musical notes, numbers, seasons, and days of the week. Through mobilizing and supporting a myriad of functions in the body, holding the mudras while sitting quietly allows us to go deep within—to focus the mind and still the body.
If you look at the Organ Flow pathways on pages 52 through 83 or the diagram of the hand below, you will see that each finger is the beginning or ending point for one or more of the twelve organ functions—partly explaining the effectiveness of an intended dose of Jin Shin to the fingers. There’s even more to the story, however. Because the extremities are the conduit for many of the flows within our bodies, the hands and feet are both rich zones for energetic feedback. The tips of our fingers and first joint correspond to our chestline, the seat of our emotions and spirit, while the middle of our fingers and second joint relate to the waistline and harmonize the mind. The base of our fingers and third joint tell us about the hipline—tending to the needs of our physical body—while the palm of the hand is all-inclusive and helps everything; it is where all the other five energies come together to get nourishment.
Each of the mudras involving the middle finger helps to relieve fatigue, so they’re a great choice for mornings or that afternoon lull. While holding each mudra position, take three or more slow, relaxed breaths, then continue to the next position. Choose one, choose two, or do them all! Depending on your self-care needs, your routine may vary.
Listing both the organ functions and the emotional attitudes, this annotated map of the hand may give you some additional guidance for self-care with mudras.
Hold palm side of left middle finger with right thumb.
WHAT IT HELPS: exhalation, frustration, eyes, decision-making, tiredness.
2
Hold back of left middle finger with right thumb.
WHAT IT HELPS: inhalation, eyes, anger, feet, alertness.
3
Place right thumb around left palm, grasping middle, ring, and little fingers with pad of right thumb covering part of left palm.
WHAT IT HELPS: breathing, nervousness, depression, heart, joints in arms and hands.
4
Place right thumb around left back of hand, covering index and middle fingers and thumb. Right pad of thumb covers part of back of hand.
WHAT IT HELPS: breathing, feeling insecure, fountain of youth, worry, fear, anger, anxiety.
Place middle fingernails together.
WHAT IT HELPS: energy ascending from toes to head, inhalation process, receiving life force, and general well-being.
6
Place left thumb over left ring fingernail.
WHAT IT HELPS: skin, eyes, ears, fatigue, breathing, common sense.
7
Place palms together, cross fingers, release middle fingers, place pads of middle fingers together.
WHAT IT HELPS: harmony; relieving stress from head; breathing, digestion, abdominal discomfort, and fatigue; tension in legs.
8
Make a ring with left middle finger and thumb and place top of right thumb in between left middle fingernail and pad of left thumb.
WHAT IT HELPS: fatigue, frustration, sweet cravings, stomach discomforts, complexion, and jet lag.