My favorite statement of Swami Kripalu is: “The highest spiritual practice is Self-observation with compassion and without judgment.”
This is also one of the most difficult practices to do! Karuna Mudra can help your heart and chest to soften, allowing you to tap into the deep wellspring of your heart.
Karuna means ‘compassion’ and gives us the ability to see ourselves and others in a compassionate light. As one hand faces towards your heart in Karuna Mudra, and the other outward towards all beings, connecting loving unity through higher understanding, forgiveness, and absolute compassion within and outward to all others.
Begin by placing Left fingertips at the base of the Right fingers. Then cup both hands and rest Left thumb on lower Right thumb. Hold hands in front of your heart rotating the Left hand to face towards your heart and Right hand faces all other beings. (Image above is the final mudra)
- Directs breath into chest massaging heart and thymus.
- Releases tension in face and jaw.
- Gently expands subtle heart sending out waves of healing to whole being.
- Cultivates a warm heart of compassion, forgiveness and acceptance.
- Good for calming, releasing judgment, and seeing clearly.
“With a heart of Compassion, I fill with Love and Acceptance of myself.”
Practice Karuna Mudra with 5-10 natural breaths, and repeating the affirmation aloud and silently. You may like to increase the number of breaths by five or so each week if you practice this mudra regularly.
These mudras and information used by permission and modified from Mudras for Healing and Transformation by Joseph and Lilian LePage.
