Pranidhana- a sanskrit word meaning to dedicate, devote, or surrender. Therefore Pranidhana Mudra is a gesture of surrender, of letting go. This mudra can soothe tensions in the body allowing a feeling of softening and release. Stress and blood pressure reduce as deep relaxation supports letting go on all levels. Energy in the body becomes grounded, allowing a sense of ease, trust and stillness within.

To practice Pranidhana Mudra touch ring and middle fingers to thumbs, then touch Index and pinkies together. Once you have the shape, rotate your hands upward so that pinky and index fingers are pointing down. Soften your hands a bit so that you’re not over doing, and then allow your eyes to close and breathe.

Artwork by Dido Nydick

To practice Kapota Mudra, begin by holding the hands in prayer posiiton in front of the heart and slightly away from the body, keep the top pads of the fingers and the base of the palms together while opening the knuckles away from each other, creating an open space between the palms. This mudra will help to open breath into the front and back of the chest activating pranavayu, an upward flow of energy.

Kapota Mudra, or the gesture of the dove, is a symbol of peace and awakens us to the inherent peace of our own inner being. 

Artwork by Dido Nydick

This weeks Hasta Mudra, and perhaps the most well known in our classes, is Anjali Mudra. Anjali is Sanskrit for “Divine offering”; “reverence”; “salutation”.

Anjali Mudra is performed by pressing the palms of the hands together. The fingers are together with fingertips pointing up. With hands pressed together firmly and evenly, Anjali Mudra is often held at the heart chakra with thumbs resting lightly against the sternum. Bringing together the palms in this mudra connects the right and the left hemispheres of the brain and connects the practitioner with spirituality/god/divinity.

Artwork by Dido Nydick

Yoga helps reduce suffering ... and one of the ways it does this is by changing our perspective of the suffering, which includes recognizing that our greatest pain in life often becomes our greatest wisdom, motivator and pathway to loving others.

When I was 13, my father caught me off guard with his video camera in hand and a pretend microphone. I still cringe a bit as I remember watching it later. He asked me "So, Julie, tell me how are you enjoying basketball?" He followed this question with 4 or 5 more questions about my life.

My answer, again and again, was "I don't know."

I had lost my sense of my Self. I was so externally focused on getting approval and succeeding in the eyes of others that I didn't even know what my own thoughts and feelings were. My mantra might have been "What do you want me to say?"

We know from research that this happens to a lot of girls, typically between the ages of 11 and 13. They begin to raise their hands less in class. A playful confidence and joyous outburst of thought turns into a self-conscious fear of saying the wrong thing, and not being liked. Any inner knowing gets stifled as attention moves outward to how we look and how others perceive us.

Enter Yoga. Though not a quick fix, yoga is founded upon the idea of 'Realized Knowledge' or 'Inner Knowing'. Rather than teaching, we are often asking questions of our students. How does this feel? Notice your body. How is your breathing today? What does it feel like to imagine you are in nature? What brings you great joy? What helps you feel strong? What brings you stress?

Had my first experience of Yoga happened at a younger age, perhaps I would have been connected to my sense of 'self' during those difficult years. But my own first experience of Yoga came when I was in college, and I will never forget the very first time I did a guided relaxation where we were invited to scan our body from our toes all the way to the top of our head. We were then instructed to walk around campus in a more mindful way. I had never before experienced my internal landscape in this way and I still remember how if felt different...stronger and peaceful...to walk around in my new sense of Self.

May we all take a deep breath, notice what is true for us, and trust that our unique understanding and expression of life is what is most beautiful.

We all know that music is powerful. It can inspire you, open your heart, bring you peace and touch your soul. But how does music do all of this? What exactly is it about this medium that makes it such an amazing and essential part of our lives? As a musician and a board-certified music therapist, I’ve spent many years researching these questions and applying the answers to my work.

What the research shows is that music is processed in multiple regions of the brain simultaneously! When we listen to music, the Nucleus Accumbens activates. The Nucleus what?!? No need for a medical degree, you just need to know that this is the reward and pleasure center of the brain, so that means music makes you feel good! When we listen to music we like, Serotonin is also released and this hormone elevates your mood. Music also reduces the level of Cortisol which is a stress hormone. If you’ve ever put on some relaxing music after dealing with a toddler tantrum, you know what I’m talking about!

So, I encourage you to explore the gifts that music has to offer and to use it more intentionally in your life. It is one of the most unique and amazing stimuli that exists in our world and it’s right at our fingertips.

If you’re looking for some more relaxation and peace in your life, please take a listen to my instrumental guitar and cello album, An Open Sky, at RyanJuddMusic.com or click below:

https://youtu.be/5z91JZopR48