Welcome to Green Lotus Studios.
Today we're going to explore Kali Mudra.
Mudra in Sanskrit means gesture.
The Sanskrit word Kala means time or darkness.
Kali is the goddess representing energy of intuition and wisdom.
It's suggested practicing Kali Mudra can activate and balance the energy of your Muladhara chakra.
I welcome you to join me with this practice.
If possible we are practicing outside on the earth on some grass barefoot if appropriate.
Alternatively you can be wearing shoes if you feel more comfortable and obviously if the weather isn't appropriate then this can be practiced indoors.
We will be practicing in standing although this can also be practiced in seated.
To come into Kali Mudra bring both hands in front of the chest into prayer position palms and fingers together interlace your index and middle fingers keeping the ring fingers extended upright the fingertips touching one another and the little fingers are then interlaced if possible making sure the right little finger is on the outside cross your left thumb over your right thumb holding for as long as feels comfortable knowing you can release and relax throughout the practice if needs whether that's just dropping the hands down or completely releasing the mudra and coming back when feels appropriate coming into standing standing tall with your feet parallel to each other and about hip width apart a comfortable stance if you haven't already bringing your hands into Kali Mudra and closing down the eyes begin by slowly shifting the weight between the left and right foot gradually exploring the balance and the weight in either side until you have a sense of equal amount of weight resting through each foot and finding a balance here and then gently rock forwards and backwards feeling that center of gravity shifting over the front and back of the feet until that you can find that the balance is directly over that midpoint of your arches lifting your toes on an inhale and stretching them as wide as possible before replacing them down to the ground on the exhale exploring that movement twice more inhaling to lift the toes and stretch exhale to replace them back to the ground inhaling to lift and exhaling to lower keeping your knees straight but not locked a softness in the knees a sense of tallness through the spine lifting up towards the sky but without strain bring your shoulder blades together slightly keep your head upright with your chin parallel to the ground or slightly tucked down so there's an extension through the back of the neck feel your breath moving rhythmically in and out standing in Tadasana mountain pose embracing the qualities of the earth within the body the stillness and stability the strength solidity of the earth beneath drawing that sense of earth energy through the soles of the feet as you breathe in drawing that qualities of strength stability groundedness up through the body as you inhale and releasing on the exhale out through the crown of the head if you find that the mind is wandering this is to be expected once we notice we can bring our awareness back into the physical sensations of the body breathing in breathing out the sense of drawing the qualities of the earth up through the soles of the feet the stability and strength the solidity of the ground the stillness and we can draw those qualities into the body with the breath drawing up through and releasing on the exhale out through the crown of the head continuing in this way drawing that earth energy up through the body releasing the awareness of breath releasing the hand mudra and allowing the hands to rest to the sides of the body slightly in front or to the sides depending on your anatomy bringing some movement into the body by turning the head from side to side left to right up and down maybe bringing some shrugging into the shoulders lifting them up to the ears and back down perhaps they want to move forwards and backwards maybe shifting the weight into the hips shifting the hips from left to right maybe circles here feels appropriate with the hips circling one way and circling the other way bending and straightening opposite knees raising and lowering opposite heels a gentle marching movement keeping the toes in contact but marching through the heels raising and lowering and then maybe standing on one leg lifting the foot and giving some circles to the ankles going one way and the other perhaps shaking the leg and doing the same on the other side circles through the ankle shaking the leg and we'll take an inhale and sweep the arms up overhead bringing the hands to prayer lifting up off the heels coming up onto the toes and then we can release everything drop the heels drop the hands and exhale through the mouth with an audible sigh as we finish our practice thank you for joining me
