Yoga mudras are gestures performed mostly with fingers and hands. They help the flow of energy in the body, enhance vitality, change moods, mitigate pain, and connect the brain to the body. There are more than 100 known energizing mudras in yoga that can bring mental clarity, improve overall health, and also enhance your yoga practice.
Mudras have been an important part of many Buddhist and Hindu rituals. Ancient yogis and sages used mudras to connect prana or life force with cosmic force. In Tibet, monks use mudras to generate internal warmth in freezing winters and balance their body elements. Yoga mudras are practiced extensively in yoga, meditation, and dance.
Why are yoga mudras important?
Mudra means “closure” or “seal” in Sanskrit and they are mainly used in pranayama and meditation to allow energy to flow throughout the body using hands.
Our bodies are made up of five elements and the fingers of our hands represent them – thumb (fire), index finger (air), middle finger (space), ring finger ( earth), and little finger (water). Any disturbance in these elements can cause the body to suffer from ailments and lead to an imbalanced mind. Pressing the fingertips and thumbs together can affect the five elements in our bodies and balance them.
According to Ayurveda, the ancient Hindu system of alternate healing, our bodies contain thousands of energy pathways which have their endings in our fingertips and hands. When we hold our fingers and thumbs in different positions, we connect different energy pathways to create new circuits of energy. When done in conjunction with breathing, these hand gestures can increase the flow of energy or prana in the body. Normally this energy gets dissipated through the fingers and thumbs. However, these mudras redirect the energy inward, bringing about a balance of the elements and restoring health.
Benefits of yoga mudras
- Placing hands in different yoga mudras can stimulate different parts of the brain and help create a specific state of mind.
- Yoga mudras are used primarily to balance energy within the body, but they also have innumerable health benefits. Performing mudras regularly can cure various ailments like sleeplessness, heart problems, memory loss, arthritis, blood pressure, and diabetes.
- They can also alleviate pain, change your mood, spike vitality, and stimulate endorphins.
- Yoga mudras only require a hand gesture and no physical activity.
Tips to perform yoga mudras
- The best time to practice yoga mudras is in the morning when there is less disturbance and noise. However, you can perform them at any time of the day.
- Try to practice them at the same time for consistency.
- Yoga mudras can be practiced while walking, standing, but the best results can be expected when performed while sitting in a comfortable sitting position such as Easy Pose ( Sukhasana), Lotus Pose (Padmasana), or Hero Pose (Virasana).
- You can even sit on a chair if you are not comfortable sitting on the floor.
- All yoga mudras should be performed for 30 to 45 minutes at a stretch or 10 to 15 minutes thrice a day.
- Before starting to do any yoga mudra heat up your hands by rubbing them together.
- Energize your fingers by extending them out and clenching the fists.
1. Dhyana Mudra
“Dhyana” in Sanskrit means meditation. Dhyana mudra can help the practitioner move from Dharana (concentration) into deeper states of meditation. It creates calming energy during meditation and can relieve stress and anxiety. Dhyana mudra is widely practiced in many spiritual and religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and even yoga. This mudra is practiced with both hands. The left hand represents the illusion of existence, and the right hand symbolizes wisdom.
Method
This mudra is best done while in seated meditation with an awareness of the breath (pranayama). Place your left hand with your palm facing up on the lap and right hand on top of the left hand. Bring the thumbs together, pressing them at the tips and forming a triangle. Now close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and start meditating.
2. Surya Mudra
Surya mudra symbolizes the fire element and is known to enhance digestion by stimulating the metabolism in the body. “Surya” means sun, and the sun represents heat, energy, and health. Surya mudra augments the fire element and decreases the earth element in the body. It is also called Agni mudra.
Method
To perform Surya mudra, bend your ring finger so that it touches the base of your thumb. Now press the thumb on top of the ring finger. The three fingers should be slightly stretched. To gain maximum benefits of the mudra, hold it for at least 15 minutes, and practice it three times a day.
3. Gyan Mudra
Also known as Chin mudra, Gyan mudra is the most practiced mudra in yoga. “Gyan” in Sanskrit means wisdom, and therefore the mudra is also referred to as mudra of knowledge. Gyan mudra is believed to enhance concentration, creativity, and symbolizes knowledge. It can help the practitioner concentrate on attaining true wisdom, knowledge, and spiritual progress. This mudra is also known to stimulate the brain and empowers the nervous system and the pituitary gland. It can also prevent insomnia and improve concentration.
Method
Sit in a comfortable position. Bring the tips of your index fingers and thumbs together and press them lightly against each other. Keep the rest of the three fingers straight and hold for a few minutes. Do this mudra with both hands.
4. Varun Mudra
“Varun” in Sanskrit means rain or water and Varun mudra is the gesture of water. Many people use this mudra during meditation for better concentration. This is a therapeutic mudra and should be practiced three times for 15 minutes a day for optimum health benefits. Varun mudra provides relief from diseases that result from lack of water in the body, such as constipation, psoriasis, eczema, ailments related to kidneys, bladder, dry eyes, dry hair, etc. It can spike the water content in the body and is also known as Jal Vardhak Mudra.
Method
To practice Varun mudra, sit in a comfortable position, bend your little fingers and thumbs in such a way that their tips touch each other. The rest of the three fingers should be lightly stretched or extended. Hold the mudra for some time with hands resting on the knees and palms facing upwards.
5. Prana Mudra
Prana mudra is a gesture for the vital energy or prana and stimulates the flow of prana or energy in the body, making you feel more strong and energized. Practicing this mudra reduces muscular pain, builds self-confidence, removes fatigue, bolsters immunity, and is also beneficial in diabetes.
Method
Sit in any comfortable position with a calm mind. Keep your hands on your knees. Bring the tips of your thumb, ring, and little finger together. Apply some pressure between the fingers and thumb and keep the remaining fingers straight. Try to concentrate on your breath.
6. Apan Mudra
Apan mudra is also known as the mudra of digestion. “Apan” in Sanskrit means a downward moving force. Apan mudra is practiced mainly to purify and detoxify the body and balance the elements of fire, space, and earth. This mudra helps relieve indigestion, constipation, acidity, relieves back pain, strengthens pelvic organs, and boosts the immune system.
Method
Sit in a comfortable position and place your hands on your thighs or knees. Let your palms face upwards. Bring your middle fingers and ring fingers together and bend them to touch your thumbs. Keep your index and little fingers extended. Stay in this position for some time.
7. Shoonya Mudra
In Sanskrit, “shoonya” means emptiness or space, and this mudra is the gesture of emptiness or nothingness. Buddhists practice Shoonya mudra to express the explicable state of enlightenment. In this context, this mudra symbolizes acceptance, a state of oneness, minus any ego, turmoil, and hankering. The practitioner of this mudra can hear unusual sounds, heard only by the yogis. At that stage, one can enjoy perfect bliss and calmness. Shoonya mudra also purifies your emotions and thoughts.
Shoonya mudra stimulates the flow of energy in the body. The middle finger is associated with the energy of space, and the thumb with the energy of fire. When these two come together, they help reduce the space element in the body. If the space element gets balanced in the body, all related problems get cured. This mudra can also help calm a restless mind, vertigo, travel sickness, hearing disorders, thyroid, etc.
Method
Sit in any comfortable position or Sukhasana (easy pose). Bend the middle fingers of both hands and bring them to the base of the thumbs. Now place your thumbs just below the knuckles of the middle fingers and press them gently. The other three fingers should stay extended.
The Takeaway
Yoga mudras can help you go inward and channelize the body’s energy flow. These gestures can heal your body both physically, mentally, and beyond.
So, don’t wait to start your mudra practice. Try them while doing yoga, during meditation, and see the benefits. These yoga mudras will surely intensify your yoga practice, cure many ailments, and enhance the quality of your life.
