Mudras of India

The authors deserve commendation for grappling with this subject and making it accessible to teachers and student s of yoga and those interested in India. It is a refreshingly interesting book and each mudra is photographed and detailed instructions provided on technique, applications health and spiritual benefits and historical backgrounds. -- Yoga Magazine The art and science of hasta-mudras in Indian classical dances 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 This well-designed presentation of mudras brings together a significant 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 codifications 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, New Delhi, India Mudras of India by Cain and Revital Carroll is a comprehensive, exhaustive study of 'Mudras', both in Yoga and Classical Indian dance. The text delves into mudras in various cultures and explicates their possible therapeutic uses. The book is a must-read for students of classical Indian dance and yoga, as also for those seeking curative and preventative healing. -- Ratna Roy, PhD, Senior Professor, Dance, The Evergreen State College, Senior Guru, 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, PhD, author of A Yoga of Indian Classical Dance: The Yogini's Mirror Mudras give access to the subtle body in remarkable ways, given the extensive neurological connections between the hands and the hemispheres of the brain. This collection is an invaluable resource for students of yoga and meditation as it offers 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 refined and nuanced ways. -- Tias Little, MA, founder of Prajna Yoga, Santa Fe, New Mexico Yoga teachers are always looking for new ways to help our students deepen their meditation practice. This beautiful book offers 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. -- Desire Rumbaugh, yoga teacher and creator of the DVD series Yoga to the Rescue 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. This astonishingly beautiful and well-researched book offers 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 Therapists

Cain Carroll teaches yoga, qigong, meditation and self-healing worldwide. He has trained extensively under the guidance of Daoist, Buddhist and Indian Yoga masters. His journeys have taken him to remote areas of India, China, Nepal, Tibet, Thailand and South America, where he received private instruction in many rare and powerful practices. Cain is co-author of Partner Yoga and creator of three self-healing DVDs. His website can be visited at www.caincarroll.com. Revital Carroll has been dedicated to the study of Indian spiritual arts since childhood. Intensive study and practice of yoga and meditation in the Himalayas led her to discover her passion for Odissi Indian Dance. She is the creator of three instructional DVDs and she offers classes, workshops and performances worldwide. Visit www.shaktibhakti.com for more information.

Foreword by Dr. David Frawley. Acknowledgments. Sanskrit Pronunciation Guide: Standard Academic Transliteration. Introduction: The History and Heritage of Mudras. Getting Started. The Mudras. Benefits of Hand Mudras. Appendix A: Energy Anatomy. Appendix B: The Gayatri Mudras. Appendix C: Dance Mudra Sets. Endnotes. Glossary. Bibliography. About the Authors. Index.