MUDRA Continued from Page 45


The modern day practices of Tai Chi and Chi Kung are still connected to their Sha- manistic animal origins. They embody spe- cific animal totems such as the forms of Soaring Crane or Turtle Longevity. The early practitioners learned that adopting the pos- ture or gesture would help them connect with the state of consciousness or the spirit with which it was associated. Probably in each different form of these martial arts, an individual had an initial spontaneous expres- sion of that spirit. That individual and their followers continued to access that spirit or energy by recreating the discovered form. Each form has its own characters and quali- ties. In a shamanistic sense, the spirit dance can imbue the individual with superhuman strength, healing abilities, or spiritual clarity. In the case of the group trance dance, those that embody the spirit might bring back some vision or wisdom for the tribe. There is some interesting research which explores some of the mechanisms of gesture and posture. Certain nerve cells in the lower temporal lobe of our brains are dedicated ex- clusively to responding to hand positions and shapes. This area of the brain is very active in infants. The site of these cells, deep in a rela- tively primitive part of the brain, suggests that the gesture may predate words in evolu- tionary history as a means of human expres- sion. Evolutionary linguist Sherman Wilcox speculates that “Language emerged through bodily action before becoming codified in speech.” Other researchers have shown that when people perform actions, they re- member those actions better if they gesture while they are talking about the actions they did.


The neurological cluster becomes less im- portant as our ability to talk increases in early childhood, but it remains connected to the expressive movement of our bodies. Ges- tures precede our speech, even before we are conscious of our own thoughts or what we’re going to be saying. Hand movements and, for that matter, all matter of body movements, occur first, as thoughts in the brain emerge as images and feelings. Because gestures don’t pass through the left-brain language filters, they can be connected to deeper, un- conscious expressions, perceptions and ca- pacities which would explain their use in spiritual practices.


We often use gestures to bring thoughts, feelings, and memories more to the surface of our awareness, just as a meditator might use them to invoke a state of awareness. Have you ever held the palm of your hand open when trying to express something ver- bally or squeezed your hand or your finger tips together trying to formulate a thought? You might also pull your head back with a jerk, saying “No” physically with the body be- fore being able to say “No” verbally. Researchers have noted how gestures


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help speakers formulate coherent speech by aiding in the retrieval of elusive words from their memory. The linguist David McNeill re- fers to gestures as an actual form of thought, not just an expression of thought but as a cognitive process whereby we can realize meaning without ever expressing it verbally. The experience of the physical might be crit- ical to rounding out the fullness of what is being learned.


The embodiment is what is being actual- ized by the Shaman, the Chi Kung master or the Yogi. There is an intention in these prac- tices to embody and communicate certain ineffable spiritual ideals that cannot be un- derstood just from verbal language. Can you feel a change in your being when you shift from arms crossed on your chest to the palms together Namaste gesture? In that felt sensation you may be tapping into some- thing that can’t be grasped cognitively. If you notice how it calms your mind and puts you into a state where you are more con- nected with ‘the divine within,’ then you may choose to use this gesture when you are in conflict with someone.


Another way you can experience the mys- tery of this body/mind connection is when you awaken from sleep in the morning after dreaming. Often when we wake, we lose the memory of our dreams. This can be frus- trating when you are trying to recall your dreams. You can notice, though, if you change your body position when you wake. You may be lying on your side when sleeping, then roll to your back when you awaken. If you want to remember the dream you can simply turn your body back to the position you were in when sleeping and let the felt sense of that posture come back. Often, dream images and memories will re- turn with this shift.


The intention of the mudras and some of the asanas in yoga is to place the body in a configuration that induces and reinforces a


specific state of consciousness. The shape of the pose or posture acts as a doorway into the expression of that awareness. This is something many people do unconsciously. You might cross your arms over your chest to feel more safe and secure, or you might hold your palm to your heart when you want to feel more compassion. These seemingly spontaneous gestures shift your conscious- ness. This is one reason teachers suggest you sit with your spine straight when you medi- tate. The collective wisdom of meditators from many countries suggests that posture helps to calm and clear the mind. A kind of morphic resonance may also be present in sacred mudras and postures. Ru- pert Sheldrake proposed the idea of morphic fields of information. These are fields of in- formation that are created any time organ- isms do a specific kind of behavior. With these fields, the experience becomes access- ible by the same kinds of organisms at a later date. If enough people have sat straight in meditation or held a particular mudra in their hands while having a spiritual experi- ence, then it may be that others tap into this powerful field of information when they as- sume the same posture. This collective memory might partially explain why specific postures and mudras evoke certain experi- ences. There may also be an activation of the nervous and energetic systems in our bodies when we take specific postures. Although we have the higher intellect and self-reflective consciousness of humans, we are still housed in animal bodies with concrete physical sys- tems.


Typical portrayal of Buddhic mudras


Gestures and mudras can also express themselves spontaneously. In India, individ- uals have been known to suddenly drop from walking into the seated pose and lapse into a unified state. Some say that it is the awak- ening of the Kundalini energy at the base of the spine that causes a meditator to suddenly assume an erect posture or even visibly shake. An interesting correlate to this expres- sion of kundalini occurs in some people who are experiencing Grof’s Holotropic breath- work. In this process, which induces a trans- formative altered state, it is common to have a regressive experience where a person can physically revisit early birth experiences. When this happens, their hands and feet con- strict in ways that babies do at that phase of their development.


In a more overt way, we communicate through our gestures much more of what we are thinking and feeling than we are con- sciously aware. Recently some researchers have studied the speech of politicians and noted how they gesture with their dominant side more frequently when they’re speaking about something they judge as ‘good’ or ‘pos- itive.’ It seems the dominant side is used more to say “Yes.” Psychologically, this may be related to the Jungian concept of shadow, where our unexpressed or negative parts are expressed in less dominant ways. People who are good at reading others have learned to watch these subtle subconscious cues to de- termine if someone is lying or telling the truth. Body workers refer to this connection


> Number 85 • ATLANTIS RISING 71


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