http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1979/cmar79/mudras.

shtml mudras are techniques which activate the nervous and glandular systems of the physical body so that dormant psychic power centres can then open, and the latent potential energy of man, the kundalini can ascend, carrying our consciousness to the cosmic mind. Mudras are gestures which the mind accepts and uses to form itself on. Thus the mind can be made to take up the shape of certain patterns, or yantras, as generated by the deep and archetypal energy behind the mudra, in the depths of the mind. It is this last aspect with which we are most concerned. Consciously performing mudras allows us to become more aware of inner energy and to control it so that we make the most of each moment. Mudras are body positions reflecting mental attitudes which profoundly influence the psyche. Research Mudras act directly on the brain and mind. It is known that the brain has two halves, or cerebral hemispheres, each with its own specific function. The right side is concerned with intuition, holistic mentation, spatial orientation, artistic expression, crafts, body images, and so on. The left side is related to analytical and logical thinking, time, speech, and mathematical functions. They are linked by a bundle of nerve fibres called the 'corpus callosum'. In most people, the function of these hemispheres is not harmonious, coherent and synchronous, as indicated by electroencephalographic studies. This is because of mental, emotional processes. Inharmonious function of these hemispheres results in decreased intelligence, understanding, perception, intuitive ability and so on. Mudras help us to synthesize the two sides of our brain by acting directly on the nervous system. Mudras are the means to gain access to switches that confer conscious control over all our body functions. They work in the following way: 1. Physical: Each mudra stimulates certain nerves that send their message to the brain. These messages reach those brain centres appropriate to the stimulus. For example, each finger is linked to a different part of the brain. In the brain the hand takes up a very large proportion of the brain's cortex. Therefore circuits made between the thumb and each finger have a definite and powerful effect on the brain. This effect must be experienced by each individual for knowledge to awaken. When the hands are placed in a particular configuration, the neuronal circuits are stimulated for a prolonged period of time which reinforces the specific effect of the mudra on the brain. This action is a conscious one. If the right and left hands are both stimulating the brain, the effect is to bring the two hemispheres under our conscious control. The circuits stimulated are brought into the sphere of conscious awareness. Repetition over a period of time, say weeks or months, makes this subtle action more conscious, that is, we become more and more aware of the effect. Thus, the mudra gains power and brings knowledge. It helps to coordinate the hemispheres so that the two sides function in a more unified and harmonious way.