Mudras of India: A Comprehensive Guide to the Hand Gestures of Yoga and Indian Dance

346 Pages·2013·7.37 MB·English

by  Cain Carroll

“Te art and science of hasta mudras in Classical Indian Dance and yoga is a
complete language in itself. It has been handed down through the ages from
seers and sages to those interested. Documenting these mudras at length, this
book becomes a seminal compilation, with illustrations and text, and brings
aesthetic and artistic sensibilities to an otherwise academic subject. Congrats!”
—Professor Ashish Mohan Khokar, scholar on arts and culture
of India and Chair of the Dance History Society of India
“Neuroscience has shown that our touch-screen technology is depriving us of
the evolutionary use of our hands as tools of the mind, putting us at risk for
depression. Tis astonishingly beautiful and well-researched book ofers the
sacred art of hand gesture that, in connecting hand to mind and heart, can
sustain our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Whether you
come to Mudras of India with an interest in dance, yoga, meditation, or your
own self-care, you will be well-served.”
—Amy Weintraub, founder of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute and
author of Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Terapists
“Mudras of India by Cain and Revital Carroll is a comprehensive, exhaustive
study of ‘mudras,’ both in yoga and Classical Indian Dance. Te text delves into
mudras in various cultures and explicates their possible therapeutic uses. Te
book is a must-read for students of Classical Indian Dance and yoga, as also for
those seeking curative and preventative healing.”
—Ratna Roy, Ph.D., Senior Professor of Dance, Te Evergreen
State College, Senior Guru of Odissi Classical Dance,
and Artistic Director, Urvasi Dance Ensemble
“Mudras of India is a much-needed compendium that beautifully illustrates the
incredible variety and versatility of the hand gestures that play a key role in
India’s sacred traditions. Every dancer, yogi, or yogini will want to keep a copy
on hand!”
—Roxanne Kamayani Gupta, Ph.D., author of
A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance
“Mudras give access to the subtle body in remarkable ways given the extensive
neurological connections between the hands and the hemispheres of the brain.
Tis collection is an invaluable resource for students of yoga and meditation as
it ofers clear and concise detail on the hand articulations. I feel that this book is
the perfect gateway for students to work with the mudras in order to yoke their
awareness in more refned and nuanced ways.”
—Tias Little, M.A., founder of Prajna Yoga
“Tis well-designed presentation of mudras brings together a signifcant feature
of both yoga and Indian Classical Dance, instrumental toward revealing the
metaphysical understanding of non-duality. Mudras of India is a welcome
addition to traditional codifcations with explanations, techniques, applications,
and usage structured to make this knowledge accessible to a broad readership.”
—Sharon Lowen, renowned classical Indian dancer
of Odissi, Manipuri, and Chhau
“Yoga teachers are always looking for new ways to help our students deepen their
meditation practice. Tis beautiful book ofers many powerful hand mudras that
yoga practitioners can learn and incorporate into their sitting meditation. Add
this book to your yoga library. It is remarkable how a simple mudra keeps our
mind more present during the practice of meditation.”
—Desirée Rumbaugh, yoga teacher and creator of
the DVD series Yoga to the Rescue
Mudras
of
India
A Comprehensive Guide to the Hand
Gestures of Yoga and Indian Dance
Expanded Edition
CAIN CARRoll AND REvItAl CARRoll
FoREWoRD bY DR. DAvID FRAWlEY
London and PhiLadeLPhia
Hardback edition published in 2012
Tis edition published in 2013
by Singing Dragon
an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116 Pentonville Road
london N1 9Jb, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.singingdragon.com
Copyright © Cain Carroll and Revital Carroll 2012, 2013
Foreword copyright © Dr. David Frawley 2012, 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including
photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or
incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright
owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or
under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright licensing Agency ltd, Safron House, 6–10
Kirby Street, london EC1N 8tS. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to
reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.
Warning: Te doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a
civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the library of Congress
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the british library
ISbN 978 1 84819 109 9
eISbN 978 0 85701 067 4
Printed and bound in Great britain
For Yashodhara Enz
Always follow your heart
Contents
Foreword by Dr. David Frawley 9
Acknowledgments 1
Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide: Standard Academic transliteration 13
Introduction: Te History and Heritage of Mudras 17
Getting Started 27
Te Mudras 33
benefts of Hand Mudras 292
Appendix A: Energy Anatomy 304
Appendix b: the Gayatri Mudras 309
Appendix C: Dance Mudra Sets 311
Endnotes 319
Glosary 323
bibliography 328
About the Authors 329
Index 31