Mudra is a Sanskrit word, and means both gesture and lock. The practice of yoga mudra is explained in terms of Ayurvedic medicine and Yoga philosophy. Each of fingers invokes one of five elemental substances: fire, water, air, earth, or empty space. By causing two or more of these substances to mix, the mudras are understood to create a particular medicinal - even mystical - effect. But what is really happening, if anything, and could yoga mudra practice have an established, tangible benefit, beyond the feel-good philosophy?

When I was a boy, I was diagnosed with growing pains. It's funny how that label ended the search for a cure. I had growing pains. They would pass in time. See you later.

Indeed the sharp pain did fade away, but that is what neurologists call habituation. It isn't the end of the problem; just the end of our awareness of it: the body gets tired of telling us, and it just curls up and gets sick.

Even in Thailand, a massage can mean disappointment. But in Amsterdam, it will almost always mean €60 and a waste of 60 minutes. You pay for the space, the towels, the oil, the labour, the marketing, and the profit. Your therapist may get 20%. That's the net investment in your body, in the best case. In fact you don't need any oil to get a great massage, and you shouldn't obsess about the robe, the tea, or the scented atmosphere. Instead, find a practitioner who moves you. Find someone who can talk to your tension, and make it go away. Nothing else make a difference.