How would mudras benefit me?

Using myself as an example, when I’m out of sorts, I have in my emotional tool kit mudras which help me feel contented, cheerful, recharged, etc. I have improved my ability to be patient by practicing the patience mudra over time.

I use mudras to nurture myself much like I walk, use scented candles, and listen to relaxing or energizing music. Mudras are part of how I care for myself. They help me create a nurturing environment on the inside! My belief, based on my experience teaching mudras to others, is that they will help you as well.

Give me some real-life situations where mudras have helped.

The following are several examples of how mudras have helped my friends and clients.

• A woman came for a massage whose husband had recently died. She said she had trouble doing ordinary things that they had done together, because she felt so sad when she did them. She couldn’t walk on a beach or attend an outdoor concert, things she used to love to do. I helped her release some of that sadness. Then I showed her the cheerfulness mudra. When she came back for her next massage she said she had been practicing the mudra, and she had been able to walk on a beach and enjoy an outdoor concert! She said that she actually did the cheerfulness mudra while at the concert, and it really helped!

• I was visiting a teenager and her mother. The teenager was very upset. I asked her if it would be okay if I taught her a powerful gesture that might help her feel better. She nodded, yes. I taught her the tranquility mudra, and she did it for maybe two minutes. She looked at me, surprised, and said, “This really works! I had all these thoughts going round and round in my mind, and now they’ve all settled down!”

• One woman started to practice the contentment mudra when she felt like eating, but wasn’t really hungry. At first she didn’t feel anything. She had to practice the mudra for a while before she was sure what it felt like to be content. She left the contentment mudra card out on her night table to remind her to practice it. She has now learned to feel and appreciate contentment. She has intentionally made the contentment mudra part of her life.

• I was demonstrating mudas at a meditation group. One woman saw me doing a calming mudra, laughed, and said, “We always do that when things get crazy at the office!” I have taught this mudra to people who are feeling overwhelmed with deadlines. They say that, if they take the time to do this in private, along with breathing deeply, they feel much better.