7 Innocent Gestures That Can Get You Killed Overseas


 
If you’ve ever had your penis cut off and/or been executed while on holiday, you’ll probably know that it’s easy to offend people from other cultures. Unless you learn the ways of the place you’re visiting, even the most well-meaning tourist can regularly find his oesophagus stuffed with burning goat. But surely just plain common sense and good manners will save you, right?Wrong.

Extend Your Hand, Palm Outward in Greece

What you think you are saying:
“Phew! That was a heck of a moussaka. I’d eat another portion, but I’m completely stuffed.”

What you are actually saying:
“Phew! That was a heck of a moussaka. I’d eat another portion, but I’m too busy rubbing handfuls of shit in your face.”

What the hell?
In Greece, the “hand out” gesture is known as the moutza, and it dates back to the time of the Byzantine Empire, when criminals would be paraded through the streets on horseback, their faces blackened to indicate their shame. If they were lucky, the blackening agent would merely be charcoal. If they were unlucky, it would be a substance much, much worse …

SHIT, is what we’re saying here. Their faces would be covered in SHIT.

If you really want to piss a Greek person off, you can go for the double moutza, which features both hands splayed above your head. However, this will also make you look like a backup dancer from Cats, so it’s your call.

Give the Thumbs-Up In The Middle East

What you think you are saying:
“Ayyyyy! I’m the fuckin’ Fonz!”

What you are actually saying:
“Ayyyyy! I’m going to jam my thumb in your anus!”

What the hell?
It’s not just the Middle East. This seemingly universal gesture is also hideously offensive in West Africa and South America, whose citizens would doubtless get really confused if they ever watched Ebert and Roeper. “This movie is great, Bill! So great that I’d like to anally rape it with my thumb!”

The thumbs-up sign has been confusing people for thousands of years. Contrary to Hollywood legend, Roman gladiators were not spared by a thumbs-up, but by a hidden thumb. If the origins of both gestures are linked, we can only assume this meant, “Do not kill the prisoner, he seems the perfect solution to the emperor’s arthritic finger.”

Finish Your Meal In Thailand / The Philippines / China

What you think you are saying:
“This is a delicious meal. I mean it. I’m not the kind of guy who would lie about something like this. In fact, your meal was so fucking fabulous that I am going to finish every last morsel and then lick the plate so bright that it reveals the face of God.”

What you are actually saying:
“You call yourself a host? I came here for a meal, not some Lilliputian hors d’oeuvre that wouldn’t satisfy a mouse after a sizable brunch. Look at me. No, in the eyes. You disgust me.”

What the hell?
It is always important that the host provides you with tasty food. However, in countries where steak in bleu cheese sauce costs approximately the same as a lung transplant, it is more important that the host provides you with enough food.

In China, if you finish every last bite of your meal, you are implying that you weren’t given enough. Therefore, even if the meal is the most sexually delicious thing that has ever slid down your throat, you should still leave one last morsel on the plate to stare up at you mournfully while you eye it with ill-concealed resentment.

That said, the Orient isn’t as uptight as this example suggests. In China it’s considered perfectly good manners to talk with your mouth full and to burp after your meal. Farting seems to vary according to the situation and your current company, so ask ahead of time. Lighting the fart is frowned upon in almost all provinces.

Say “Hi” to a Member of the Opposite Sex in Saudi Arabia

What you think you are saying:
“Hi Steve! How’s things? Fancy getting a decaf latte?”

What you are actually saying:
“Hi, Steve! How’s things? Fancy booking a hotel room so that I can do immoral sex acts on you in the name of Satan?”

What the hell?
According to sharia religious laws, it is deeply immoral for a woman to greet a man in public, or associate with any man other than her husband without an escort. In February 2008, one American woman openly conversed with a man in Starbucks, and was promptly arrested, strip-searched and forced to sign false confessions.

Though, perhaps this is nitpicking considering women are not allowed to drive, vote, own shops, testify in court or ride bicycles there. Bizarrely, it’s perfectly fine for women to fly high-powered jet planes, although they’re clearly fucked if they feel like taking a bicycle to the airport.

The point being, if you’re a woman and are planning a move to Saudi Arabia, offending them with the whole public greeting thing is probably the least of your problems.

Give an Even Number of Flowers in Russia

What you think you are saying:
“Darling, this week has been the most wonderful of my life. Since I first felt the sweet joy of your caress, I have truly come to know what it is to love and to be loved. Please accept these half-dozen roses as a symbol of my eternal tender devotion.” (Lean forward for kiss.)

What you are actually saying:
DEATH! DEATH! DEEEEEEAAAAAAAATH!!!!!!

(Lean forward for kiss.)

What the hell?
In Russia, even numbers of flowers are only ever given at funerals, and such a gift is seen as inviting death, which you obviously don’t want to do unless you’re banging a goth chick.

Choosing the right gift seems to be a minefield of morbidity everywhere you go. Never give a clock to a Chinese person, as the word “clock” is almost identical to a word for “death.” Don’t wrap your present in white paper there either, as this suggests funerals. And for God’s sake, don’t give anyone in Bangladesh white flowers or they will presumably be obliged to buy a spade and bury themselves while muttering at you reproachfully.

You know what, screw giving a gift. You may come across as a selfish douchebag, but at least no one will hail you as the fourth horseman of the apocalypse.

Give a Gift With Your Left Hand, Pretty Much Anywhere

What you think you are saying:
“Thank you very much for letting me marry your daughter. She is very beautiful. In gratitude, please accept this dainty, yet tuneful instrument. Did I mention that I’m left-handed?”

What you are actually saying:
“Thank you very much for letting me marry your daughter. She is the most worthless heap of dog vomit I have ever encountered, and I dearly wish that she would die. In gratitude, please accept a generous portion of my own effluence. Did I mention that I hate you?”

What the hell?
Toilet paper may have been around in China since 589 AD, but for much of the world, it remains a prohibitively expensive luxury. In places such as India, Sri Lanka, Africa and the whole of the Middle East, doing anything with your left hand is seen as unclean, as it is (as least symbolically) your ass-wiping hand.

Eating out? Don’t even think about using your left hand. It’s better to come across as some kind of retarded monkey child than to imply that you rate your host’s food on the same level as a lightly-steamed assburger.

Of course, poop is not the only reason left-handedness is bad. According to the Qur’an, Satan himself was a southpaw, which is why he was able to successfully fool the right-handed batter that is mankind.

Give the “OK” Sign in Brazil

What you think you are saying:
“Hi Brazil, I’m US President Richard Nixon, and I’m feeling terrific!”

What you are actually saying:
“Hi Brazil, I’m US President Richard Nixon, and I’m feeling that you should all go fuck yourselves!”

(Note: The above examples are only valid if you are US President Richard Nixon)

What the hell?
In Brazil, the “OK” gesture is roughly equivalent to the finger in the US, which means you should not use it when your hotel manager asks you how your room is, unless you want to tell him that it’s purple and velvety and recently molested his wife.

The most famous incident of a misapplied “OK” sign was, in fact, Nixon’s visit to Brazil in the ’50s. While alighting from the aircraft, he lifted both hands to the cameras and double-fingered the entire nation. Nixon went on to greet the Brazilian Prime minister with a savage kick to the testicles, and concluded his visit by urinating from the window of a moving limousine.

If you’re visiting Brazil, you should also never touch any food with your fingers. Even stuff like pizzas and burgers should be eaten with a knife and fork. Not that you’ll ever need to apply this knowledge, because after reading this article, you’d be insane if you ever travel abroad again.

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The science of Mudra


 
The science of Mudras is based on the principle that “The root cause of disease is the imbalance and improper co-ordination between these elements and proper balance between these elements is the secret of good health.” The secret of health lies in hands, fingers and Mudras, which can be performed with the help of fingers.

Human body is composed of five basic elements and the five fingers of our hands represents these five basic elements. Ancient Sages discovered the knowledge of Mudras. By touching of hands to each other or folding fingers in a particular way, we can cure any disturbances in these five elements with the help of our fingers, we can keep the five elements in proper proportion, any disturbances in them can be balanced. So that our body become healthy.

The human body, like the Universe, is made up of fusion of five elements. Body’s health depends on the proper balance of these five elements in our body. Mudras help maintaining this balance. Mudras are like control buttons of chetana of our body and their proper study help us not only to control five elements but also to cure many diseases and remain healthy.

With the help of Mudras, we can create particular kind of energy waves in the body, when needed. By creating these waves, the five elements get their proper balance which help man in his physical, mental and spiritual progress. By touching or by pressing our fingers on each other in a particular fashion we can perform different Mudras. There are so many mudras performed for different purposes, as in dance or prayer. Here we are studying those mudras which help us in curing disorder, both of mind and body.

Mudras, Hand Postures

There is a tremendous flow of energy in the hands and each finger represents one of the elements. The roots of all diseases lie in an imbalance of one of the five elements and can be corrected with medicines, willpower and Mudras.

Mudras is a term with many meanings. It is used to signify a gesture, a mystic position of the hands, a seal, or even a symbol. However, there are eye positions, body postures, and breathing techniques that are also called mudras. These symbolic finger, eye, and body postures can vividly depict certain states or processes of consciousness.So mudras engage certain areas of the brain and/or soul and exercise a corresponding influence on them.

How Are Mudras Practiced?

“The hands are the bearers of important symbols, which are still universally understood. With his or her hands, the Indian dancer expresses the life of the universe. The rich symbolism of the dancer’s language of gestures has a greater significance for the mind than words could express . Indian art has the spiritual meaning of the mudras and its perfect expression . The gestures of the deities depicted in Hindu and Buddhist art symbolize and evoke specific mythological occurrences.”

Forming your hands and the fingers as they are shown in the various illustrations. The pressure of the fingers should be very light and fine, and your hands should be relaxed. Sometimes the fingers have a mind of their own, too inflexible, and the hands slip away or tire quickly. The flexibility of the hands has a direct relationship to the flexibility of the entire body. Tension at a certain place in the body, will be expressed at a corresponding area in the hands. Even a person’s age can be determined on the basis of the spread fingers.

In the beginning, there may be some problems in doing some of the mudras with both hands, because, you may first have to arrange and hold the fingers of one hand with the other. Just do the mudra with the one hand for the time being. If the fingers that should actually be stretched curl on their own again, rest them. With time, the tensions will dissolve in the fingers or hand, as well as in the corresponding area of the body. Do the mudra as well as possible and the effect will appear in any case. You will gain more strength in your hands, become more flexible, and will be able to use both hands feeling more refreshed ,flexible and younger.

Treat your fingers in a careful and loving way.
You may not do the mudra as healing gesture,
but do it as a holy gesture.
If possible do the mudras in a seated meditation position-
Take into consideration the following basic principles of meditation technique:

Sit with an upright pelvis and a straight spinal column on a stable cushion. Both knees should be flat on the ground or at the same height if necessary, support the lower knee with a cushion until it is at the same height as the other knee. Let the hands relax on the thighs.Let the shoulders fall back and down in a relaxed way, your chest should be open and free.Pull the chin back a bit, and let the neck be long and relaxed. Breathe in an even, slow, flowing, and gentle way.Never end the meditation suddenly. Vigorously stretch your arms and legs.

 

You can practice the mudras at any time and in any place. Mudras can even be done while in traffic, watching television, or when waiting.. It is wiser to do mudras in a meditative, harmonious mood. Without being stressed and fuming with annoyance, or that you sit in front of the television with your mind on various problems you are facing.

Place your thumb and index finger together and think about something wonderful, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it lets you float on pink clouds. Now feel the energy that flows from the index finger to the thumb. Doing it again, imagine something terribly sad. Feel the energy of the fingers is it different? There is difference in the quality of energy that flows, in the first instance it is vibrant and electrifying whereas the other is dull and faint.

Breathing, Visualization and Affirmations

The effect of a mudra can be immensely intensified with the breath.
This is why it is very important to know what breathing does.

Pay attention to a symmetrical posture and hold your arms about one inch away from your body. Even this position alone brings a sense of inner equilibrium and harmony as it regulates the activity of the nervous system and hormonal glands. In addition to carbon dioxide, we also discharge expended energy on the subtle level when we exhale deeply.This is why you should always exhale vigorously several times at the beginning of a mudra. Make room for what you want to achieve.

Always lengthen the little pause after inhaling and after exhaling by several seconds. The most important aspect of the breathing process. The inner powers are developed during the pauses-on every level.When you practice a mudra to calm yourself, then slow your breathing.When you practice a mudra to refresh yourself, then inters your breathing. The optimal quality of breathing is achieved when the breath is slow, deep, rhythmic, and flowing.

In the beginning of a mudra meditation, exhale vigorously
several times and then
let the breath become deeper and slower.

First: Focus on your hands and fingers,
notice the gentle pressure where they touch each other;
This centers, creates inner equilibrium, and builds up strength in general.


Second: While inhaling, you can press the fingertips together a bit more
and let go of the pressure when exhaling;
This variation strengthens the will and refreshes.


Third: The other way around and apply a bit more pressure
while exhaling and let go of the pressure when inhaling.
This variation calms and relaxes.

Feel the difference. You may not immediately feel the effect, but it is still
there

.
The exteranl circumstances of our lives usually shape themselves according to our imagination andour feelings. The possibility of shaping our inner images is in such a way that we can enjoy life, experience success in our work, and have loving and understanding relationships. Create an unshakable faith and be filled with both fervor and serenity to accompany our self-made images. We need to create little experiences of success for ourselves, since what functions in a small way will also succeed on a larger scale. We can slowly build and develop this confidence. If we can clearly express what we do not want and definitively formulate our wishes and needs, this can already be the beginning of a new order in life.

 

Affirming sometimes more, sometimes less. Time and time again, their astounding
effects have astonishing. It is so simple, and some people even find it a bit naive.
But things that are particularly simple and naive usually have the greatest effective power.

 

The same principle applies to affirmations as it does to visualizations.Say them full of faith, fervor, and serenity. You can say them one to three times, during or after the meditation.You can also pause for a moment during the day and speak your affirmation in a quiet or a loud voice. Make use of this wonderful possibility and talk yourself into what you really want-what is good for you. If you want to get rid of something stubborn, a negation can also be help- ful. Speak it at the beginning, while you are vigorously exhaling. For example, “This hatred or resentment, feeling of guilt, pain, fear, desire to smoke, etc. will immediately disappear and dissolve itself.”

 

Mudras and Music

We all know the healing effect of music. But music is also good for healthy people who are occasionally plagued by weakness or physical imbalances. Since the music used for therapy plays anywhere from three to twelve minutes, and this amount of time corresponds to how, long one holds a mudra, it is obvious that mudras and music can have a wonderful influence on each other. Tension-either physical or mental-emotional can be relieved by listening to the right kind of music. The right kind of music has a calming and relaxing effect, possibly even taking a person into a state of deep relaxation. Stress and tension can also lead to an acute or a chronic state of exhaustion that can be positively influenced by music. If you pay attention to the following points, you can get a lot from using music with your mudras:

 

Consider your own taste in music;
Determine how long the playing time should be;
Listen to the same piece at the same time for at least three days in row;
Listen consciously, and immediately let go of any thoughts that may arise.

Mudras and Colour

Colors influence our minds and our lives on every level. In color therapy, various shades of color are specifically applied to regenerate the organs and glands, as well as to activate the processes of elimination, respiration, and circulation. Colors also influence our moods and every type of mental activity.

Red stimulates the circulation, makes us alert,
warms and relaxes, but can also bring out aggression;


Orange improves the mood, promotes lightness,
stimulates sexuality, but can also stimulate superficiality;

Yellow stimulates digestion, makes us mentally alert, and
lets life appear in a bright light, but it can also be obtrusive;

Green is generally calming; it regenerates on every level,
and gives us the desire to start something new;

Blue is also calming, but this calmness goes deeper and provides
a sense of security; it conveys protection, and symbolizes the
silent yearning for the incomprehensible;

Violet is the color of transformation, change, and spirituality;

Brown is the color of stability and connection to the earth,
but too much can lead to stagnation;

White bears the entire spectrum of the other colors
within itself, containing birth as well as death;

Black is the color of protection, of gathering strength, of retreat,
and of the emptiness that already bears abundance within itself.

There are no “bad” colors. Every color can also be seen in our aura or energy body. When a color gains dominance or is not in its right place, it will initially have an effect on the general feeling of well-being. With time, a health disorder may develop as a result. However, the course of an illness can also be reversed with the help of colors.

You can have some beautiful experiences using color meditations. If you prefer a certain color, it may well be that you need the corresponding qualities. However, if you give too much preference to one color, this can develop into an addiction and the color may harm you. While holding a mudra, you can either visualize a color or concentrate on the color of an object. With visualization the color will then come to life.

Using MUDRAS to Heal Physical Complaints

Your destiny lies in your hands, and this should be taken quite literally. Not only because the hand lines show the past and future of a person, but above all because each finger has its very own functions and power. If you know how to use this power, you can maintain your physical health and mental peace.

How can my illness be improved if I do nothing more than just press together a few of my fingers? Begin to trust and carry out the exercises, the effect changes into astonishment. These are extremely valuable gifts that were given to us from the most enlightened masters of ancient times.

An unhealthy lifestyle usually consists of bad diet, lack of exercise, no fresh air, rest and relaxation, too much stress, worry, negative thoughts and feelings. Practicing the mudras, with a healthy diet, routine rest periods, adequate exercise will lead to an optimal lifestyle. And this is the basis for health. When mudras are used to support the healing of chronic health disorders, they should be as a course of treatment over a long period of several weeks or months to be effective.

Some mudras can also be used as help in an emergency. These should be practised when necessary and only as long as they are required. Sudden complaints are not a coincidence, but are of an imbalanced state that has already flared up within us. Mudra should not be used like a fast-acting medication to subdue symptoms. Get to the bottom of the matter. Meditate-ask inside yourself what this physical attack means for you. Ask persistently and honestly, for then you will also receive an honest answer. Perhaps it won’t be comfortable, but it will have a healing effect in the long run.

Mudras and Healing Emotional Problems

Run your thumb along your fingertips in a gentle and conscious way. This feels wonderful! It’s refreshing for your brain. The brain should be trained like a muscle every day. It has been proved that even after a few days of rest in bed the activity of the brain is reduced. The brain can regenerate very quickly through the appropriate training. Practicing mudras can be called pure brain training. There is a positive influence on the brain waves, particularly when the fingertips touch each other.


Affirmations promote a clear manner of expression, which is a mental power. When a mudra is done with full concentration, and a state of serenity is maintained, cerebral activity is calmed and regenerated. In addition, many mudras synchronize the right and left hemisphere of the brain. This promotes memory, the general ability to recollect, and, miraculously, creativity as well.

Always see the good in your fellow human beings, put the negative
aspects of the past behind you, live completely in the present, and
make the best you possibly can of it. Expect the best from the future
and remain in constant contact with cosmic consciousness-then
nothing will stand in the way of a meaningful and happy life.

Mudras have a wonderful effect on the emotional area of our lives, which includes the soul, our feelings, and our moods.To change oppressive moods, you can do so by changing breathing rhythm accordingly. How one breathe’s can stimulate, calm, inflame, or cool one down. Mood fluctuations, can be largely eliminated within a few days by using mudras.

 

Moods and physical complaints are similar. In order to cure them, we must look for and remedy the cause, which almost always lies within. We should never blame our surrounding world for our moods. Parents, children, partners, colleagues at work-they are only reflections of our inner life. Even if we initially can’t change our environment, we can work on our inner attitude toward the surrounding world, changing it in small steps.

 

Chronic bad moods of any type such as aggression, depression, dissatisfaction and fear can be caused by weakened organs, digestive problems, blood pressure, pain, or other phvsical reasons. As you practice the mudras used for physical healing, these moods may be remedied. Meditation, and affirmation have a positive effect on the mental emotional area.

The Energy Systems

These energy fields are subject to various vibrations. The physical senses are oriented toward one very specific vibration, and this is why we can only perceive this vibration in particular. Ancient yogis could perceive other vibrations, such as those of the chakras energy transformers and the nadis, subtle streams of energy. The Chinese researched the system of meridians. Palmistry, the hands and individual fingers are also associated with the planetary powers in astrology.

The Elements

There is a direct relationship between the hands and the neck since the nerve paths run through the vertebral form in the arms, hands, and fingers. The flexibility of the hands always effects the flexibility of the neck. Therefore, hand exercises relieve tensions in the neck. Moreover, spreading the ten fingers creates a reflex that causes the chest vertebrae to spread out.

The hands and fingers also have an additional direct relationship to the heart and lungs. many people can no longer properly stretch their fingers with increasing age. This shows tension in the heart area, which often indicates the prelude to heart disease or a tendency toward osteoporosis. This slightly crooked hand position also impedes inhalation. The result is that the optimum amount of air is not drawn into the lungs, especially into the lung borders, which promotes contamination in those areas.

Reflex Zones

The hand reflex zones correspond to the foot reflex zones, the massage treatment of which is generally known today. Since some of the organs are only found on one side of the body such as the heart and liver, this is reflected in the hands. Since hands come in different sizes, you may not find the exact pressure point immediately. When you have found the desired point, massage it with your thumb, using light pressure and slow, circular movements. One to 3 minutes are enough.

 

Acupressure

The best-known Chinese healing method. Instead of using needles, the meridians are stimulated with the fingers. The nonexpert can simply press them lightly with the thumb for several minutes to achieve a positive effect. If you have high blood pressure, massage the middle finger from the root to the tip. To counteract low blood pressure, massage the middle finger from the tip to the root. Do the same with the index finger if you have diarrhea or constipation.

Planetary Classification and Palmistry

Astrology and palmistry have always belonged together. The mudras can actually strengthen the hands and the individual fingers, even changing character traits in the process. The little finger is creativity, a sense of beauty, the ring finger, a sense of family, the ability to love, and a feeling of security, initiative. The love of order is found in the middle finger. Intellectuality, individuality, and striving for power are in the index finger. Will, instincts, and vitality are in the thumb. “A great deal is in your hands” with the mudras. Take hold of your life with your own two hands and decide what is important to you.