The Path Of Mudra Book 1: Hello, Hands!

The Path Of Mudra Book 1: Hello, Hands! By Vladimir Pyatsky and Natalia Tsimbler Translated by Helga Ivars Anderes von Krauzinsh Illustrated by Vladimir Pyatsky Edited by Hanan Pyatsky

The Path of Mudra BOOK 1. Hello, Hands! By Vladimir Pyatsky and Natalia Tsimbler Translated by Helga Ivars Anderes von Krauzinsh Illustrated by Vladimir Pyatsky Edited by Hanan Pyatsky

TABLE OF CONTENTS Where to Find the Best Toy? The Wrist Wakes Up, Stretching Like a Cat...1 How is a Mudra Born? Soothing (Relaxing, Pacifiying) Sequence of Mudras. 5 The Sequence Net of Perfection...7 The Sequence Game of Two Fish. 10 The Sequence Removing Obstacles.....11 The Sequence of Twelve Months... 12 Left and Right.......17 First Sequence of The Juggler... 18 Second Sequence of The Juggler....19 Third Sequence of The Juggler...20 Elusive Truth.. 21 Resume and Conclusions From the First Book.. 22

Where to Find the Best Toy? Desire to possess pleasure is naive and impulsive, and torments the minds of living beings. The wrist is in constant pressure ready to grab and hold the desired When grabbing itself, or more precisely, grabbing self-awareness, the hand unexpectedly finds a precious toy that leads the mind to seek knowledge: it finds Mudra. The Wrist Wakes Up, Stretching Like a Cat (Mudras, shown in the following pictures and drawings, need to be performed by both hands, unless stated otherwise). By holding the balance of the right and the left, the hands stretch to the sides: 1

The thumb extends down, and the four other fingers extend up: Extending the thumb, the pointing finger, and the pinky into different sides: 2

Distancing the thumb and the pinky as far as possible from each other: Pulling the thumb to the lateral side of the forearm, the pointing finger up, and the three other fingers away from the thumb: 3

After these movements, the sense of warmth might appear in palms and fingers, the tendons and joints of the fingers breathe deeply, and the palm feels surprised (delighted and attentive): I AM WHOLE. In the drawing, the dashed lines represent the places that stretch during the movements mentioned above. The dashed lines, circled around, indicate the other side of the thumb. The inner world of living beings strongly needs a feeling of wholeness. How to maintain this wholeness? How to find the spiritual Path that will give us this wholeness? Thoughts on how to embark on the spiritual path and how to practice are often non-specific - a practitioner meets with uncertainty that feels like dreams. In those dreams the clay of thought has not yet taken the shape of a vessel of knowledge. However, mudra can give form to the mind. Mudra allows you to shape this clay of thought to a vessel of knowledge. 4

How is a Mudra born? The Mudra can be defined as a development of positive qualities of mental activities, carried out in the palm of your hand. Let s represent the brain activity as a whole, which includes the external perception and internal reaction. That is, external and internal are relative to our ever-changing sense of I, which can easily interchange the external and internal at any time (what was once perception is now reaction, and vice versa). Thanks to the flexible nature of mental activity the field of the palm can hold an unlimited, by size or quantity, representation of existence. This means that we can imagine the whole world in our palm (created by our imagined representation of world). The field of the palm transforms our mental energy because unlike the sense of I it has energetically efficient structure (the ability to interact with things). The field of the palm gives this quality to the stream of thought. In such a way, the need of the mind for stability and energetic density is satisfied. All of the described phenomena lead to the birth of MUDRA imprint of knowledge, emerging from hand gesture. Soothing (Relaxing, Pacifying) Sequence of Mudras The restlessness of the hands is one of the main reasons for the damaging of wholeness of the protective field, leading to leakage of vital energy and inability to concentrate. The opposite is also true: calming the hands maintains vital energy and increases the ability to concentrate. 5

The main feature of the sequence below is the transition from every position to the next one by turning pressed-together palms in different directions. The contact between the palms should not be interrupted during the entire sequence of movements. The specified order of the Mudras is not strict and the transition can be arbitrary, but the principle of rotation of the palms relative to each other while keeping close contact, needs to be maintained. This rotational rubbing of the palms relaxes the hands and fills them with energy. That s why this sequence is very good before doing a massage, before writing/typing, or preparing food. 1 2 3 4 6

5 6 The Sequence Net of Perfection The sequence of mudras, presented in this section, includes a simple but important revelation: THE FINGERS ARE INTERCONNECTED, AND THEY FORM A CHAIN OF ENERGY TRANSMISSION. 1 2 3 4 7

5 6 7 8 9 10 The sequence of finger contacts in this sequence is not coincidental. It covers the entire range of combinations, by principle: the thumb touches every other finger by order: 3, 5, 2, 4, 5, 3, 4, 2 (in first 8 positions), the pause when touching the pinky and the ring finger with the thumb is twice longer, than when touching the forefinger and middle finger. It balances the relative weakness of the pinky and the ring finger. Some of the most evident effects from the repetition of this sequence are as follows: 1) Motor memory is trained. 2) Awareness of the movement of each finger increases. 3) Interaction between the thumb and the other fingers improves. 8

Also there is a story connected to this sequence of mudras: An old fisherman had three sons and before leaving this world he gave them a task. His task was to make a perfect net. The eldest son was the laziest: he did not give himself time to make proper cells in his net: the cells were so big that all the fish managed to escape. The middle brother was a perfectionist, so he made many-many tiny cells in his net, so all the fish remained entrapped. But! Along with mature fish also young fish was caught. So the next year there was no fish in this lake at all, as the fish that was expected to become mature by then, was no more. And only the youngest brother was able to make a perfect net with cells of just the proper size: neither too big, nor too small. And this perfect net's making reveals us the essence of the Middle Path. 9

The Sequence Game of Two Fish The sequence described below develops liveliness and plasticity of finger movements. This alone is a sufficient reason to practice this sequence of mudras, but this small dance of fingers has another advantage: it balances the energy of wrists, using symmetric positions. 1 2 3 4 10

5 The Sequence Removing Obstacles Removing Obstacles means that this sequence of mudras creates extra connections within the overall coordination of the fingers. If obstacles are discovered during the Mudra practice, it means that the regular set of connections is insufficient. Extraordinary connections, which can sometimes allowed to be called miraculous, start to play an important role. This sequence helps us eliminate obstacles in the coordinating between the three main energy channels in our body. The 1st and the 4th mudras (which are actually a reflection of the same mudra) coordinate and normalize the work of the central energy channel and particularly the 3 centers head, throat, heart (3 phalanges of the touching thumbs). The 3rd mudra coordinates the work of the Yin channel. By touching the center of the palm, we are closing the energy circuit and eliminating the chaos in body systems functioning. The 2nd mudra, the Lotus, coordinates the work of the Yang channel by the same energy circuit closing with fingers. 11

1 2 3 4 The Sequence of Twelve Months The sequence of Twelve months is an example of wrist exercises that are primarily aimed at memory development. This sequence is similar to putting beads on a Japa Mala rosary: all the good deeds in life are like little beads put on a thread that leads to an enlightenment. It should be noted that in addition to developing memorizing ability, this sequence of mudras also relaxes and refreshes the mind. In this sequence there is no strictness in the physiological layer of the exercise. Such a freedom in mudras interpretation means that this sequence is used as a library code, which could be 12

filled according to situational requirements as well as the same rosary can support various prayers and meditations. 1. January 2. February 3. March 13

4. April 5. May 6. June 14

7. July 8. August 9. September 15

10. October 11. November 12. December 16

Left and Right The interaction between the left and right hands is the basis for the development of many cognitive abilities. Physiologically, transmission of substances and distribution of work are the main result of the interaction of the internal organs. The routine activities of the hands also include the transfer of objects and distribution of work. The practice of Mudras abstracts the process of transfer and distribution by choosing as the object of manipulation - not the substance or action, BUT THE STATE AND THE FORM. The presented examples of mudras juggling clarify this statement. Each one of the following sequences contains a total of three different mudras - two of them are performed simultaneously and the third one is "in the air" (use your imagination), just like in juggling. It is "thrown in the air" with one hand and caught with the other hand during the next position. The quality of coordination represents the door to a world of relations between LEFT and RIGHT. 17

First Sequence of The Juggler 1 2 3 18

Second Sequence of The Juggler 1 2 3 19

Third Sequence of The Juggler 1 2 3 20

Elusive Truth Often spiritual seekers have heard about the elusive nature of Truth. This sense of elusiveness can be interpreted in different ways. In fact, the features of this interpretation identify the nature of specific spiritual teachings. In the perspectives of Mudra-yoga practice, this sense of elusiveness can be easily explained. It is connected with the wrists, which, catching all things of the world, themselves remain elusive. Thus, the concept of Truth in Mudra is identical to the potential of wisdom energy, which is developed in the palm of hand. 21

Resume and Conclusions From the First Book 1. The wrist exercises are an independent area of mind and the body development. 2. It is easy to concentrate on the movements of wrists - that s why their activity can be entertaining and interesting, even for beginners. 3. Warm-up exercises, including massage, can bring feelings of satisfaction and wholeness. 4. By repeating the Mudra sequences, you can strengthen memory and coordination. 5. The practice of Mudra is a gateway to the complicated questions of selfunderstanding, which become clear as you learn simple skills. In conclusion of the first book, I want to ask: If the hands, as an instrument of the brain, took an active part in the creation of all the treasures of human civilization, is it not reasonable to assume that they can play the same important role in forming and sustaining a person s health and spiritual values? 22