According to eastern tradition, a mudra is specific placing of the fingers, to connect certain meridians, this brings about an affect such as health, "wisdom", longetivity etc.
One of the most well known mudras is the Gnani mudra, where the tip of the thumb is placed on the tip of the index finger, this specific mudra connects the lung meridian to an area, where (in qigong philosophy) there is no major meridian, so the energy that goes there is quite intense, compared to it's lower energies usually, along with this, it stimulates the brain reflex located on the thumb, it is said to bring about wisdom, and also stimulates the muladhara.
The occident usually believes certain mudras affect the astral light as such, as already stated. Now, my belief about this is that the belief that a mudra does what it does, gives energy into the intellectual sphere, which as such gives the mudra a casual sphere, which gradually fulls with energy from more belief etc. When one uses the mudra, they draw upon this energy and it is put to use, for whatever the mudra supposedly does.
Also, not to be picky, but prana would correspond to chi etc, however, kundalini is quite different.
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*~*We have eyes, but do we truly see?*~*
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