Mudras

Mudra in Sanskrit means seal. Basically a mudra is usually a hand posture, that many people connect to being a meditation hand posture. The most common mudra is the Gyan or Dhyana mudra seen on the statues and images of Buddha or Hindu deities, where the thumb and index finger touch creating a circle.
Basically as we now know from science the human body has electricity within it. What a mudra does is basically rewires the electrical energy currents or prana, to help create a certain influence between mind, body and soul. The Gyan mudra, gyan meaning knowledge, aids concentration, which is why it relates to meditation. The prayer position of the hands in Christianity aids in opening the heart centre, helping to connect to God. The Hindu’s use this same gesture, and as a mudra it is called the Añjali Mudra. When greeting each other they use this mudra using the word ‘Namaste’, meaning "All that is best and highest in me greets/salutes all that is best and highest in you."

Mudras In the pranyog classes the basic mudras using the hands are taught, along with information on their benefits ranging as mentioned from Gyan mudra, aiding concentration in meditation, Vayu mudra relief from pain, aiding blood circulation and arthritis, Sunya mudra aiding hearing, the heart, throat diseases and weakness of the bones, the Prthvi mudra helping weight leanness and digestion, Prana mudra, aiding eyesight the immune system, and controlling hunger and thirst, Apana mudra for cleansing and purification, Surya mudra for obesity and reduction of cholesterol, Varuna mudra for the skin, blood disorders, and to make the face beautiful, and Linga mudra aiding asthma, coughs, paralysis and low blood pressure. These are the basic hand/finger mudras taught in the Pranyog classes. There are other mudras too; similar to asansas, using the body as a whole, the tongue and the eyes. For example staring at the tip of the nose in meditation or at the centre of the forehead as in the Unmani mudra. All this and more may be taught in the Pranyog Nottingham yoga Acupressure points in the hand relating to organs in the bodyclasses.

Acupressure
Also information is taught on the acupressure points in the hands and feet, and also on the face and body. This very much connects to the ideas of reflexology, where the soles of the feet are massaged for health. But in case of the Pranyog classes the emphasis is mainly on the palms of the hands, yet also covers the feet, face and body as a whole. Once one understands mudras and about the acupressure points, you could say that this area of yoga is very much like self-healing acupuncture without needles. In acupuncture needles are inserted into the body to influence the engery channels to remove blocked energy, and the system of mudras and acupressure as taught in the pranyog classes works on a similar premise, but of course without the use of needles. Pressing the various acupressure points influences the bodies physical organs assisting in recovery from diseases leading to good health and well-being.