Call upon joy, compassion and love this Valentines’ Day by adding the Lotus Mudra to your practice.

Mudra means ‘seal’, ‘mark’ or ‘gesture’ in Sanskrit. It is a symbolic or ritual gesture preformed with the hands and fingers.

These gestures are mostly used in meditation and pranayama practice because they are believed to affect the flow of prana in the body.

Different areas of the hands are connected with areas of the brain and body. When the hands are placed into mudra’s this creates stimuli in areas of the brain and guides energy flow in the body.

The Lotus Mudra is a hand gesture to open the heart centre or heart chakra. By activating the heart chakra the body is open to joy, compassion and love.

To create the Lotus Mudra bring your hands in front of your heart in the prayer position. Actively press all fingers together and then begin to separate them apart, making space between each set of fingers. Almost as if you’re creating a fan with your hands. Keep the pressure on your pinkie and thumbs, think about pressing the tips of them together, while you begin to separate the rest of your fingers and palms away from each other. Like a lotus flower opening its petals up to the sun. To create a little depth to your lotus flower you can try to make space in-between your palms. Think of a ball glove – that little space in the mitt that assists to catch the ball.

This mudra can be used during meditation as well as seated asanas such as padmasana, virasana, sukhasana and tadasana, or … whenever your heart desires!

Last week while taking a Restorative class my mind wandered to my first experiences of Restorative yoga.

I had no idea what Restorative yoga was all about. I just knew it used lots of bolsters, blankets and blocks. What could go wrong? Savasana for an hour? Shut the front door.

Well, it’s more than laying in Savasana for an hour. My first few Restorative classes became battle grounds in what I like to call: Combat of The Insistence Mind Chatter.

‘How long are we going to be in this pose for? I swear it’s been twenty minutes all ready.’

‘I wonder if everyone else in this class can hear my stomach growling.’

‘I should have worn a sweater. And socks. I’m cold.’

A friend once called Restorative yoga lazy yoga. I guess to an outsider it does look pretty boring. Laying around supported by props for a prolonged period.

But – our bodies need time to gently drop into the depths of the pose – I have found that the profound stillness of long held shapes enables me to find quietness. Both in my mind, and in my body. It amplifies everything from thoughts running through my mind, to any itch I may feel, to the sound and gentle thumping of my heart.

Restorative yoga is not easy, in fact, sometimes I find it very challenging to reach stillness. But when I do, I find it profoundly peaceful. It is a turning inwards – to both my mind and my subtle body. Where I observe the interplay between the two.

BREAKING DOWN RESTORATIVE YOGA (on a more technical level)

To me, Restorative Yoga refers to gentle postures, (poses, shapes) that use props (sometimes loooooots of them) to stimulate and relax the body. It is a therapeutic practice that combines recovery and healing. These shapes, along with meditation and breathing techniques, can offer healing to our bodies by helping to reduce stress, still the mind, and tap into the parasympathetic nerve.

Sometimes called the rest and digest system, the parasympathetic nerve is responsible for conserving energy, slowing our heart rate, and allowing our nervous system to relax. It counteracts the sympathetic nervous system, the one responsible for the flight-or-fight response.

Restorative Yoga shapes can assist us in reaching rest and relaxation in our bodies by teaching us to fully be aware of ourselves. Both mentally and physically. These shapes invite constructive rest – never at ‘The Edge’. That is, at the end of ones range of motion. Being at ‘The Edge’ of ones range of motion is stressful enough (and potentially harming to the body) even without props!

In Restorative Yoga props replace muscles for support. This encourages the body to achieve mind and body ease, in turn assisting us in releasing tension and helping to support the body by promoting relaxation.

Because I care about the health and well-being of the people I work with, I am offering a special twenty minute seated Reiki Recharge to my fellow colleagues. Why not make time for yourself and set aside twenty minutes of your day to relax and recharge? Treat yourself to a Reiki Recharge. I will arrive at your preferred location five minutes in advance to prepare for the session.

In some ways, there is no ‘typical’ Reiki session. Below I have put together some info on what you may expect when you visit me for a session.