Mudra has a deep significance attached to our Indian tradition. It has a very deep relevance inhibited in our history. There are various forms of stories attached to mudras. It is believed that mudra is known to take care of most of our health issues. In earlier days people didn’t have so much of medicinal facilities so at that time people used to practise mudra only and they were much more healthier than we are today. It is even proved that the life expectancy was much more higher in those days than it is today. Even the science and medicinal properties have progressed today a lot but still the health issues have also multiplied number of times. One such very important mudra is Abhaya Mudra.
Let’s Understand the Meaning of Abhaya Mudra:
There are various meaning attached to the word Abhaya. Many years before when Indians used to have Sanskrit as their communication language then the abhaya word was used a lot. In those days abhaya used to mean fearlessness.
You can also attach the meaning of protection, peace and silence with abhaya. You can also say that abhaya mudra symbolizes the detachment of fear and evil from our lives. It is believed that this symbol was used much before the onset of Buddhism.
The idea behind the origin of this symbol was to approach strangers with a friendly gesture. But it was believed that you should not be over friendly with strangers and people used to avoid talking and meeting with strangers.
So, this concept was evolved of abhaya mudra wherein people used to meet and greet strangers happily. Another theory surrounding this gesture is that it was introduced when Gautam Buddha was being attacked by an elephant. It is known that the elephant immediately got calmed after he saw this gesture of Gautam Buddha. The people who practise Buddhism say that Gautam Buddha stood up his hands in the act of fearlessness.
This mudra is very popular in other historical traditions too. It was even seen in number of scriptures of Gandhara. In Gandhara art this act was used mostly for preaching. This mudra was very common in china too especially in northern wei and sui areas of 4th and 7th centuries. This gesture is also very popular in the fifth dhyani Buddha which is also known as Amoghasiddhi. It is believed that if you practise amoghasiddhi for quite a long time you will be able to get over your jealously and this will help you in the long run to achieve new accomplishments in your life. In Thailand and laos this mudra is popularly known as walking Buddha.
How to perform Abhaya Mudra?
So, after knowing all about this mudra the major question arises as how to do this mudra. Worry not we will help you out of this. Before doing any kind of mudra it is a prerequisite that your body should be loose. If you over exert or make your body too tight because of the pressure and stress then you are not doing it right. You need to get over all the worldly affairs and then concentrate on the mudra form. Then only expect any benefits out of it in the long term. If you are doing this mudra by thinking that you are not going to achieve the result or in other words over thinking then you are not going to achieve the results.
Following are Some of the Brief steps Which will help you to get Hold of this Abhaya Mudra:
- Sit in a lotus or very easy half sitted position. The first condition of any mudra exercise is comfort. You must be in a comfortable position to do this exercise. Next we suggest you to sit on mat or either on light carpet. This is because many fitness experts and dieticians have suggested that you should not sit on bare floor. Bare floor emits and brings out a radiation which is not good and healthy while doing mudra. You can keep your eyes open or closed as you wish. Closed eyes definitely ensure more concentration.
- Raise your right hand, up to your shoulder height.
- Now, bent your arms and your palms facing outwards with the fingers upright
- Now, join it with your left hands while standing only.
See More: Varun Mudra Benefits
Tips and Tricks to do Abhaya Mudra:
There is no specific time as and when to do this mudra. You can do this mudra as and when you wish. Since this mudra also does not involve any specific sitting pattern. Abhaya mudra can easily be done while standing so you can do it even when you are on a run. You can do it in the office while you are bored of your job and want to enjoy your break. Do abhaya mudra then you can also overcome your fear. So, in this vastly competitive world it is imperative that you should get over your fear and jealousy. Then only you can succeed and compete in the long race of life. Thus, it is a must that you should practise abhaya mudra regularly. With prolonger practise of abhaya mudra you can see and feel positive changes in your life and lifestyle. This mudra is extremely popular. Even doctors recommend abhaya mudra to get over your fears.
See More: Adi Mudra
But you must remember that Abhaya mudra cannot be excelled over in a day. Any unhealthy practices can only be gained in a day. It takes time to excel over things and much more time to gain out of them. Thus, our suggestion is to keep practising this mudra for a long time and then only you can overcome your fear and your jealousy. This is more of a mental overcome than physical changes thus it is much more time taking. So don’t get dishearten over the facts that you are not achieving results. With time and a bit of patience you will definitely achieve results if you are confident enough and you are doing it right.