Most of us who are curious about meditation have seen them before but I did not know they were called hand mudras. Possibly the most common one is the Gyan mudra where the tips of the index finger and thumb touch creating a closed circle with the three remaining fingers held parallel to each other. We often see this hand gesture resting on the knees as a person is sitting cross-legged while meditating. Hand mudras work by activating the corresponding organ in the body to facilitate the flow of energy, Prana. ‘Mudra’ is a Sanskrit word that literally means ‘hand gesture’. During my research, I found lists for diabetes, weight loss, weight gain, relieving body pain, a healthy heart. I found a list of hand mudras that are most effective to lose weight, which is something that I am interested in doing. Surya mudra, Linga mudra, Kapha-Nashak mudra, Vaayan mudra and Gyan mudra all correspond with organs and bodily functions that relate to being over-weight.

I am setting a goal for myself to try this for 30 days and then evaluate any differences in my weight and my health. I am curious to see if the benefits will be visual or something inside that I cannot see but can feel. Even if I can only meditate ten minutes a day, that allows me to try each mudra for 2 minutes.

I am going to make time to test these mudras and see if they work for me. How about you? Are you interested in trying them out?