In my #Yoga Practice I use the five #Prana vayus to guide me into an aligned pose. Each of the Prana vayu has a specific hand gesture, a #Mudra which can be used to intensify the energetic quality of the respected vayu. A mudra is a gesture, a seal or a mark. Each of the fingers is dedicated to an #element.
1. Thumb : Fire
2. Index finger: Air
3. Middle finger: Ether/ Space
4. Ring finger: Earth
5. Little finger: Water
In the apana mudra the thumb is touching the middle finger and the ring finger. We have the elements of earth, ether and fire coming together. If I visualise this combination of the three elements, I can see heat, transformation and elimination. There is space for the fire element to grow to its full capacity and transforming all matters, be it physical or energetic. The earth element is grounding the energy as well as receiving the ashes.
The energy of apana vayu is moving downward, into the ground, it is the energy of elimination. What ever does not serve us any more, be it physical excrements or mental and emotional stories which we carry with us, apana vayu can support us in letting it go. If we let go of every thing which does no longer serve us, we carry less baggage on our journey.
In one way this is beautifully grounding. If we are not disturbed any more by all the extra baggage, we naturally become more aware, mindful and grounded. On the other hand it makes us lighter and provides us with more energy to do what we really love to do. This is the second quality of apana vayu and it can be clearly felt in the practice of #asana. We consciously ground into the floor with our feet or hands if we are in an #inversion, at the same time we pull the energy up into the centre of our body. Grounding facilitates the energy flow, and so does elimination of waste. As a response we receive fresh, rising energy moving into the center of your body and mind.
In the practice of #pranayama we can further support these processes.
While sitting in a comfortable posture, placing the hand in the apana mudra, you focus on the flow of the breath.
Inhale without strain and be aware of the turning point, where the inhalation naturally turns into exhalation. While exhaling feel the natural quality of releasing, letting go and grounding. Once the exhalation is complete, rest for a moment in Bahya Kumbhaka, the retention of the breath in emptiness. Stay as long as you can comfortably hold and then give rise to the next inhalation in a very calm and fluid way.
Practice for about 5-8min and feel the difference in the quality of energy you sense in body, mind and heart. It is a wonderful practice to work with stress, tension, headaches and anxiety.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.
much love
Isa