Raka Bandyo

The Yoga of Mudras As our life force energy flows out from our hearts to the tips of our hands one generates the potential to create and heal. In Sanskrit he word ‘mudra’ means to seal and in a yogic sense mudras are used to seal and strengthen the body’s vital energies. In this workshop we will explore several yogic healing mudras and how they may help us dive deeper into our practices of meditation and self healing.

Raka Bandyo was born and raised in a Brahman family in Michigan. She began studying the classical Indian art form of Odissi Dance in 1984 with Guru Sangetta Mohapatra Kar, longtime student of the most renowned Odissi dance Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Odissi (O-ri-see) dance, one of the classical dance forms from India and is believed by many to be the oldest classical dance form of this day. Architectural evidence of this dance appears in India in first-century B.C. rock-cut caves. After surviving cycles of growth, decay, and renewal, this art form thrives today. It is comprised of steps, mudras, expressions, bends, balance and movement in intricate and beautiful dances that describe the sacred stories, the play of life, and great Hindu spirits.