Ganesha mudra is named after the Hindu elephant God Ganesh who is known for his ability to remove obstacles, give wisdom, and bless with abundance and prosperity. In this article, we will introduce you to the Ganesh mudra practice that is designed to help you relieve stress, lift your spirits, and give you the confidence and courage to overcome anything that is holding you back.

Who Is Ganesh?

Ganesh, also known as Ganapati and in the Hindu traditions represents wisdom and prosperity. He is the patron of wealth, prosperity, good luck, and trade. The offspring of the Supreme God Shiva and his second wife Parvati, Ganesh has a rather strange appearance: he has a human body, a big belly, four hands, and an elephant head.

Ganesha is potbellied and generally depicted as holding in his hand a few round Indian sweets, of which he is inordinately fond. His vehicle (vahana) is the large Indian bandicoot rat, which symbolizes Ganesha’s ability to overcome anything to get what he wants. Like a rat and like an elephant, Ganesha is a remover of obstacles. Ganesha mudra is believed to invoke Ganesh energy as the remover of obstacles. As such, practicing the Ganesha mudra is said to enhance self-confidence and provide the courage to overcome anything that is holding one back.

According to the Vedic tradition, Ganesha is the embodiment of the mantra “Om”. The elephant’s head crowning the body of the deity resembles the symbol “Om” in its shape. Its large size symbolizes wisdom. Big ears are called to listen carefully and to separate good from evil, truth from lies. They hear everything, but at the same time, they perceive only good and true.

What Is Mudra?

“Mudra” can be translated as “seal”, “mark”, or “gesture”.

Mudras are symbolic gestures often practiced with the hands and fingers.

Connecting the fingers in certain combinations, you can activate the meridians and direct energy throughout the body, restore the flow of energy and eliminate “breakdowns” in diseased organs. Thus, each position of the hands has its own meaning and can benefit us if we learn to use this knowledge correctly.

How Does It Work?

Different positions of the fingers have the ability to close or clear the energy channels. In addition, performing this or that mudra, we affect the biologically active points of the palms and fingers.

Mudras were invented for the correct redirection of energy in the body, for the control of prana, and for changing the psycho-emotional state. Also, with their help, you can eliminate problems in the body and the mind by pressing on particular acupuncture points.

Connecting the fingers in certain combinations, you can activate the meridians and direct energy throughout the body, restore the flow of energy and eliminate “breakdowns” in diseased organs. Thus, each position of the hands has its own meaning and can benefit us if we learn to use this knowledge correctly.

The acupressure points located on the tips of all five fingers can influence the proportion of the corresponding element within the body. 

The practice of Ganesha Mudra activates and stimulates the fire element in the body that further helps with better digestion and metabolism. In addition, this mudra is also associated with the Anahata chakra (Heart chakra) and contributes to its activation. Some practitioners say that they experience a strong feeling of warmth and light in the heart area when they perform this mudra.

Ganesha Mudra Benefits

This powerful mudra helps:

• helps to open the Heart chakra
• improves the upper body strength
• boost self-esteem and self-confidence
• cultivates a sense of inner power
• develops the courage to approach life with an open heart
• helps relieve heartache, depression, and feelings of heaviness and sadness
• strengthens the muscles of the arms, chest, and shoulders
• releases stress and tension
• help to open the bronchial tubes and lungs
• stimulates the metabolism
• improves digestion
• lifts mood
• strengthens the heart muscle
• boosts creativity
• helps to settle quarrels and build trust in your relationship
• calms down
• helps to deal with life challenges

How to Perform Ganesha Mudra?

1. Bring your palms to touch in Anjali Mudra.
2. Swivel your hands so that your fingertips point toward opposite elbows, with your right palm facing your heart.
3. Bend your fingers and lock them in the heart area (Anahata chakra). The elbows are directed to the sides.
4. Close your eyes, inhale, pull your elbows to the sides while exhaling, trying to uncouple your fingers, then exhale and relax. Repeat this process six times, then repeat on the other side six more times.
5. Disconnect your fingers, put your hands on your knees, relax and focus on your breathing, stay in this position for a while.

Additional instructions:

• Remove any jewellery or watch from the arms before practicing Ganesha Mudra.
• To deepen your practice, combine Ganesh mudra with Ganesh mantra practice. When performing the mudra, chant Ganesh mantra: Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha.
• Make sure you practice Ganesh mudra on an empty stomach – keep a gap of at least 4 hours between your last meal and the time of practice. 
• For maximum benefits, perfrom Ganesh mudra 5-6 times a day.

The Bottom Line

This powerful mudra stimulates the Anahata chakra (Heart) and can, therefore, be considered a heart-opening practice. With regular practice, Ganesh mudra may evoke strong feelings of warmth and brightness in the heart area. As a result, you become more open and gain self-confidence.

In this article, we will introduce you to the Prithvi mudra practice that is designed to reconnect you to Earth, ground you, and help you attain harmony and balance.

What Is Prithvi Mudra?

Prithvi is the Sanskrit name for the Earth (one of the five gross elements of which the entire universe is made of) as well as the name of a goddess in Hinduism and some branches of Buddhism.

Prithvi mudra is a symbolic hand gesture to promote healing and spiritual balance within the body.

Earth element governs our confidence, physical and mental stamina, sense of stability, and grounding. A healthy body needs to have a balance between all of the five elements. Any imbalance created between these elements can cause disease. Regular practice of Prithvi mudra helps to balance the earth element, which resides primarily within tissues, such as skin, hair, and bones.

How Does It Work?

Different positions of the fingers have the ability to close or clear the energy channels. In addition, performing this or that mudra, we affect the biologically active points of the palms and fingers.

Mudras were invented for the correct redirection of energy in the body, for the control of prana, and for changing the psycho-emotional state. Also, with their help, you can eliminate problems in the body and the mind by pressing on particular acupuncture points.

Connecting the fingers in certain combinations, you can activate the meridians and direct energy throughout the body, restore the flow of energy and eliminate “breakdowns” in diseased organs. Thus, each position of the hands has its own meaning and can benefit us if we learn to use this knowledge correctly.

The acupressure points located on the tips of all five fingers have the ability to influence the proportion of the corresponding element within the body. The tip of the thumb is linked to the fire element, the tip of the index finger to the air element, the tip of the middle finger to the ether element, the tip of the ring finger to the earth element, and the tip of the little finger to the water element.

The tip of the thumb when brought in contact with the tip of any one of the other four fingers fires up the augmentation of the corresponding element inside the body. Thus, in Prithvi mudra, we bring the tip of the ring finger (which represents the earth element) in contact with the tip of the thumb (which represents the fire element) so that the proportion of the earth element can be balanced by enhancing its proportion within the body.

Prithvi mudra helps balance both the elements – earth and fire – as it increases the element of earth and decreases the element of fire within the body.

Prithvi Mudra Benefits

This powerful mudra helps:

• heal chronic fatigue, osteoporosis, weight loss, convalescence or paralysis, burning sensations throughout the body, ulcers, and nail, hair or skin issues
• grounding
• increase mental stability
• build and invigorate bones, nails, skin, muscles, and hair
• enhance the kapha in the body
• reduce the pitta in the body
• stimulate the Muladhara chakra
• prevent hair loss
• reduce cholesterol
• maintain healthy digestion
• boost confidence
• enhance the sense of security and stability
• calm the mind and uplift the spiritual experience
• boost the immunity
• balance an overactive thyroid
• heal cuts and wounds, bone fractures, and brittle nails faster
• increase the density of the bones
• restore equilibrium and trust

Moreover, Prithvi is the mudra of protection. If you suffer from the strong pressure of the surrounding world, if events or specific people take away your peace, perform the Prithvi mudra and you will feel under the protection of the natural forces. It helps to relieve stress quickly.

This powerful mudra can also provide emergency assistance in moments of a nervous breakdown, hysteria, or severe stress. Regular practice of this mudra will help you to achieve inner harmony and improve your self-esteem.

Who Shouldn’t Practice Prithvi Mudra?

Prithvi mudra is not recommended for:

• pregnant women;
• those with excess kapha dosha.

How to Perform?

Sit in any comfortable and stable seated meditation posture, such as padmasana (Lotus Pose) or sukhasana (Easy Pose). Then connect the tips of the ring fingers with the tips of the thumbs on each hand, whilst extending the other fingers straight.

Additional instructions:

• Remove any jewellery or watch from the arms before practicing Prithvi Mudra
• Begin with practicing this mudra for about a minimum of 10 minutes to 30 minutes every day in the morning or in the evening. For therapeutic benefits, practice Prithvi mudra for a minimum of 30-40 minutes every day.
• In order to reap maximum benefits from practicing Prithvi mudra, perform it in the early morning between 4 am to 6 am.
• Prithvi Mudra can be combined with the pranayama practice for better results and can also be done in standing position or while sitting in a chair.
• Make sure you practice Prithvi mudra on an empty stomach – keep a gap of at least 4 hours between your last meal and the time of practice. 

Emotional healing is never easy – it is a hard and painful process that requires time, effort, and patience. Crystals for emotional healing can help ease the healing process and bring back peace and harmony into our lives. In this article, we will share with you the most effective crystals for emotional healing, and also explain how they work and how you can use them for your healing journey.

How Do Crystals for Emotional Healing Work?

Our entire body system is just energy that shows up in different densities and patterns. And our thoughts and emotions are connected to our physical bodies and have a frequency of their own. When these energies work in a balanced way, we experience good health. However, when these energies are distorted, we experience emotional imbalance, tiredness, and health problems.

For centuries, crystals have been used to restore health to persons suffering from many ailments. Crystals for emotional healing work like a magnet, draw in all the negative energies in and around you and replace them with positive ones. This in effect corrects any imbalance in your body that had manifested itself as an emotional wound.

With their aura cleansing, chakra balancing, and ability to bring your vibrations to a healing level, crystals are an amazing complementary way to help you find inner peace and balance. Crystals for emotional healing can help you with stress management, strengthening your intuition, bringing strength and resilience, and boosting your inner power.

Top 10 Crystals for Emotional Healing

Here is a list of crystals that work best for sorting through emotional trauma so you can find inner peace and balance. 

#1: Rose Quartz

This healing crystal helps to find forgiveness, accept, and love yourself. It helps to heal guilt and accept your emotions and the lessons that your trauma has brought to you. This beautiful crystal helps to break through emotional blockages that prevent you from inner healing. In addition, Rose Quartz helps remain calm through energy attacks, confrontations, criticism, and conflicts. Also, this is the best crystal for heart chakra healing. Use this crystal when you need to heal your emotional trauma caused by abandonment, loneliness, loss, betrayal of trust.

#2: Amethyst

Amethyst is one of the most powerful crystals for emotional healing. It helps to overcome sadness and bring serenity into your life. This beautiful crystal harmonizes your emotions, eliminates the rage and negativity caused by emotional trauma, and reduces feelings of stress and overwhelm. Use this gem for emotional healing during times of loss or sadness. It has calming vibrations and helps to release tension and encourages sleep.

#3: Black Obsidian

This stone helps you stay grounded and tethered. Black obsidian helps repressed emotions arise out of you so that you can feel them, recognize them, and heal them. This powerful stone helps to heal the most painful emotions caused by abuse. In addition, it helps to heal grief and fears. It is also very supportive for those battling addiction.

#4: Lepidolite

This stone helps to stabilize your energy. Lepidolite has the ability to remove stuck energy between the upper chakras and facilitates deep emotional healing. This is a powerful stone that can help you to manage anxiety and depression.

#5: Clear Quartz

This crystal is capable of amplifying energy by absorbing, storing, releasing, and regulating it. It helps balance and align your chakras and harmonize your emotions. It’s a gem that brings clear-headed energy and stops you from getting lost in confusion by bringing a channel of clear light and healing.

#6: Citrine

This beautiful crystal brings joy, wonder, and enthusiasm to every part of your life. Citrine can set you in a good mood so that you can calmly address any painful emotions. It enables honesty and expression of your emotions so that the negative feelings can manifest into positive modes of forgiveness and release. Use this crystal when you need to release your fears and anxieties.

#7: Moonstone

This crystal encourages inner growth and strength. It soothes feelings of stress and instability so you’re able to move forward successfully. It also promotes optimism, positive thinking, intuition, and inspiration. Moonstone is also effective in balancing hormonal emotions.

#8: Amazonite

This beautiful stone helps to replace confusion with clarity. This is an excellent solution for healing your Throat and Heart chakras. It helps to recognize your true feelings and find the courage to express your emotions. Amazonite is especially effective for women dealing with emotional trauma. Use this stone when you need to accept that which you cannot change.

#9: Chrysocolla

Chrysocolla brings wisdom and a deep understanding of our life lessons. It brings the feeling of stability and calm. Using chrysocolla for emotional healing helps to fully express emotions and find forgiveness.

#10: Carnelian

This is a powerful stone for trauma survivors looking to bring healing to old emotional wounds and reclaim their power. Carnelian is a beautiful stone that will help you gain acceptance, self-confidence, and hope.

How to Select Your Crystal?

Identify what you feel you’re missing before looking into what crystals can provide for you. This will help you determine the main issue you need to work on. From there, just let your intuition choose what’s best for you. Whether a crystal catches your eye or you can feel a physical pull toward one, your inner voice will guide you to the crystal that’s right for you. Once you pick your healing stone, you can create the connection you need.

How to Use Healing Crystals?

The best way to use crystals for emotional healing is to wear them in the form of gemstone jewelry. Having healing stones pressed against the skin invites continuous positive vibrations to sync up with your aura.

You can also use these stones in meditation, chakra balancing sessions, and Reiki. Sit with a stone in hand and visualize how the powerful energy of the crystal is melting away your worries. Alternatively, you can place the healing stone on the chakra that feels blocked or out of balance.

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately, we can’t always control our emotions. Life is full of twists and turns and part of the journey is experiencing those highs and those lows. Therefore, emotional healing is a part of our Earthly journey. However, by inviting crystals into our healing space, we become able to more easily transmute our painful emotions into positivity, happiness, and joy.