Modern Guide to Mudras
Create Balance and Blessings in the Palm of Your Hands
Alexandra Chauran’s Modern Guide to Mudras suggests that the right hand gestures can bring about spiritual change.
Rooted in ancient wisdom, mudras are “symbolic, ritual gestures meant to evoke a state of consciousness and to manifest change in the world.” They are said to embody sought-after realities like power, cleansing, and open communication. Here, Chauran introduces modern readers to mudras, inviting them to try them as a means of changing themselves and their lives, and of creating balance within and without.
A long section details dozens of mudras, some using one hand, and some two. It explains how to perform them, where they come from, and names their positive personal results. Elegant, clear sketches illustrate each gesture—both instructive and a display of the mudras’ inherent beauty. Then the book ventures beyond the isolated hand gestures to discuss how mudras can be integrated into meditation and spiritual practice, with step-by-step instructions and vital tips. This work closes by focusing on two of the most powerful purposes for mudras: protection and healing. Both take mudras beyond their personal impacts and into interpersonal settings, including séances and toxic relationships.
Inviting and encouraging, the book suggests trying new things; at the same time, it makes space for people to try, or not try, whichever practices they choose. Many of its mudras are of Indian origin, but the book also shares some that are Buddhist and Japanese. Through its respectful tone and careful cultural explanations, it honors the traditions that each of the mudras comes from, all the while opening them up to people from a broad range of cultural backgrounds.
Modern Guide to Mudras is an open-minded book that teaches contemporary audiences a series of symbolic hand gestures that are said to have life-changing results.
Reviewed by
Melissa Wuske
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
