Mudras are a specific hands position that - together with Stillness - help to evoke a particular kind of feeling and resonance within our mind-body-soul system.
The gestures create a ‘seal’, a specific 'pranic circuit' so that the energy flows in certain way - in and around the body. They have original Sanskrit names.
The first step of doing any mudra is to have your body in a comfortable position with a straight spine. Quiet the mind, breathe deeply, feel relaxed and peaceful.
Some gestures can be done while sitting down or lying down, or while walking. Mudras can be paired with breathing technique, where the tongue lifts to the roof of the mouth on an inhale, and relaxes back down on an exhalation.
We should experience a sense of ease and contentment during the mudra session. If this is not the case, give yourself another time.
The second important part is to involve and activate our Attention and Intention. Mudras engage not only our body - which is the most active part of it - the hands, but also our mind (Attention), and feelings (Intention).
It is therefore a good idea to contemplate the meaning behind each mudra, trying to tap into the feeling of it, and aligning with our intention, clearly and deliberately. For keeping the mind focused - create a short affirmation that will be repeated during the practice.
As with all mindfulness techniques, mudra gestures help us achieve a more balanced state of mind, and ability to experience silence and stillness within, where from all forms arise. They can be a handy tool for creating desired results.
It is suggested to practice twice a day for at least 5 minutes, for at least two weeks - to begin noticing results.
Adi Mudra
Mudra of TRUST
Slowly and consciously place your thumb in the middle of your palm, at the tip at the base of the little finger. Gently wrap all your fingers around the thumb, as if in a gesture of care and protection. There should be no tightness or tension.
Known as the 'first gesture' (adi means 'first') or 'primal seal', named after the first gesture that we do as infants.
It gives a signal to our nervous system to be relaxed and at ease. We feel safe and secure in this mudra position. This is our primeval 'rest and digest' mode, and doing this mudra we invoke this feeling of utter trust - that of a little baby, that has been well fed, when everything is taken care of, and can now while away.
Adi mudra is good after a meal or before bed time. It not only may help better sleep, but also may prevent snoring. It expands lung capacity and improves the smooth blood and energy flow in and around all vital organs.
Agni Mudra
Mudra of FIRE
Bend the ring fingers of both hands and let the tips touch the base of the thumbs. Put the thumbs over the ring fingers, to keep them in place. The other fingers are loosely straight.
The element of fire is predominantly about stimulation and metabolism, which is burning up the fuel - food or oxygen. In our bodies we need 'fire' to burn our food, to digest it properly so we have energy to do things.
Agni mudra improves digestion on the physical level, but it also touches the clarity of our mind, brain function, eyesight, and overall well being. It might be an assistive tool in slimming down, especially burning the unnecessary fat around the waist. It helps to get rid of sluggishness, depressive state,
It is not advisable to do this mudra on hot days, or when you feel too much heat in your body. If during the practice you will start to feel inner warmth, it means the job is done, so don't overdo it!
Agni Shakti Mudra
Mudra of DIVINE FIRE
Put your four fingers in loose fists, connect the thumbs in front of the solar plexus.
This mudra gives our goals and aims a heat and a fire - a true passion, or flow of motivation that is able to fuel our efforts. It gives us a push when we feel lazy, sluggish, and stuck.
In Sanskrit it means 'The Seal of Fire Energy', and it is important to not overdo this mudra, especially if you are an energetic person, perhaps prone to the outburst of mood and activity.
Anjali (Namaste) Mudra
Mudra of REVERENCE
Bring the palms gently and mindfully together. Place the thumbs lightly on the sternum, lifting it a bit up, as if the chest is opening, fingers pointing upwards. Bow your head slightly down, keeping the neck straight.
One of the most known and practiced hand gestures around the world in many religions and cultures.
Anjali may be translated as 'honour', 'celebration, 'divine offering. In India it is often used with the word ‘Namaste’, meaning ‘Let the light in me bow to the light in you’. It can refer to another person as well as to the divine Spirit.
Joining the palms together connects the neurons in the right and left hemispheres of the brain, symbolising our unity both within ourselves and in relation to others.
It facilitates a venerable and worshipful state of mind. Reduces stress in the heart and enhances focus and humility of the mind. It is good for reducing the feeling of arrogance and contempt, both towards oneself and others.
Apana Mudra
Mudra of PURIFICATION
Bring the middle and the ring finger gently to the thumb. Allow the index and little finger to stay as straight as possible.
This gesture is connected with the organs in the abdomen whose main function is moving energy downwards and away from the body - for the purpose of clearing, purification, detoxification, and elimination.
This mudra serves as a detox for mind-body-soul, and it is best done when the Moon is waning. We can also visualise the mental, emotional and physical impurities coming out easily through the imaginary channels of index and little fingers.
All these impurities - negative thoughts, cramped and ruffled emotions, physical tensions, any sluggishness - are going out and away for recycling.
It has been recognized as a very powerful and helpful mudra by many yoga practitioners and teachers, including Sri Ramakrishna.
Practising this mudra also relaxes the lower abdomen and pelvis organs, and may help with symptoms of constipation, incontinence, irritable bowel syndrome, menstrual tension, and impotence.
Apana mudra should not be practised by pregnant women in the first 8 months of pregnancy, but is encouraged in the 9th month to aid with childbirth. It is also not recommended while having any recent injury or arthritis in the hands and wrists.
This mudra can be treated as a first aid after meeting negative people or situations, as it releases in a subtle way the negative thought-patterns and emotions.
In general this mudra is quite uplifting and we should feel more light, bright and clear after a couple of minutes. As this mudra removes 'evil' from our mind-body-soul system we feel lighter and brighter.
Brahma Mudra
Mudra of the DIVINE
Make fists with both your hands with the thumbs inside the fists. Press the knuckle against each other and place both hands in front of the navel. Breathe deeply. While inhaling move your head to the right. While exhaling, move your head back to the centre. Repeat the other side, up and down.
Clarifies our mind, and is particularly good when we have to make important decisions.
It symbolically represents that we are becoming aware of a bigger perspective. It also releases tension from the necks and shoulders.
Buddhi (Varun) Mudra
Mudra for INTUITION
Connect the tips of the thumb and the little finger with both hands. Hold the other fingers straight, upwards and close together.
It allows to experience a deeper sense of intuition and helps to understand intuitive messages. It is a calming force that withholds the fluctuations of the mind, enhances mental clarity, dissipates emotional overflow and instability, engages a higher level of thinking and thus improves the ability to communicate effectively.
It opens us to self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-compassion, and connects us with the Higher Self and our psychic abilities.
Buddhi mudra also promotes healthy circulation of fluids in the body and improves skin condition.
Chin Mudra
Mudra of CONSCIOUSNESS
Similar to Gyan Mudra but the direction of the palms is downwards.
Bend the tips of the index fingers towards the tips of the thumbs (try not to move the thumbs towards the index fingers, let the index fingers touch the natural position of the thumbs). All other fingers are relaxed.
This is a more grounding and introspective gesture. It improves concentration, stabilizes our attention and moves our focus inwards. It helps to connect the mind-soul with sub-consciousness and directs the energy to flow in an undisturbed manner.
It is connected to the Root Chakra and activates the feeling of being more grounded, more reliable, more solid, secure, safe and stable. Sometimes it may even lead to experiencing a sense of bliss - as we connect to our innocent animal nature, caress it, and have access to a deeper level of consciousness.
In more practical terms it helps with ADHDs, improving focus, memory, creative and practical thinking, and helps to get rid of impulsive and negative thought patterns. It allows us to feel more naturally joyful and optimistic.
Connected to the pituitary gland, Chin Mudra, may aid in balancing hormones, immunity, and overcoming addictions.
The pituitary gland is the main gland of the endocrine system. If it doesn’t function well, it leads us to become “evil” - to be dishonest, aggressive, sluggish, arrogant, ignorant, impure, rapacious, having excessive sexual energy, anxiety.
With continuous practice it reduces this anxiety, anger, and laziness.
Dhyan Mudra
Mudra of BALANCE
It is one of the most known hand gestures, practised all over the world, without even having a conscious knowledge about it. We instinctively feel that this hand position brings us into a state of deep equilibrium, a sense of being completely untouched by the outside world - a sense of inner protection, of calmness and grounding.
Place your hands on your lap, facing upward. Put your right fingers on your left palm and bend them in to make a bowl like shape. Slowly connect the thumbs.
Doing it consciously - it brings us into a more profound state of mind where we can experience deep inner peace and tranquillity. This gesture tends to balance the left and right part of the brain.
There is advice for those who have an overactive mind to place the right hand at the bottom and the left at the top.
In case of a mind that is too passive, place the left hand at the bottom and the right on the top.
In Sanskrit 'dhyana' means "meditation," as a preliminary stage before samadhi. Buddha is often depicted with this mudra as it is believed he practiced it during his meditation under the Bodhi tree.
Ganesh Mudra
Mudra of COMPASSION
Interlock your four fingers of both hands, keeping the thumbs straight up and down, and elbows to the sideways.
It instantaneously activates inner peace, comforts the heart, develops compassion towards oneself and the world and brings a sense of overall safety and trust.
It activates the heart chakra and the muscle around the chest creating a feeling of peacefuf expansion. It helps to become more attentive to our feelings that we can then embrace with loving compassion, and thus remove obstacles, and brings the sense of auspiciousness - that all things, events will turn out for our benefit.
Gyan (Jjana) Mudra
Mudra of WISDOM
The shape is the same as in Chin Mudra (above) but in an open and upward position.
Close your eyes. Rub your hands together, and place them over your Third Eye. Open your eyes into the hands, then slowly open the palms and lower them down on your lap. Touch your index fingertip to the tip of your thumb. Hold others fingers straight and relaxed.
It is a gesture of receptivity, opening us to wisdom, knowledge, truth and information. Good for obtaining general insight or into a specific issue. It is good to first practice the Chin Mudra before moving on to Gyan.
Present in many depictions of Buddha, it deepens meditation, and as it helps to reveal information - it is a mudra of revelation. It may reveal our true purpose and hear the guidance.
It balances the glands and related hormones, but it is not recommended to those who feel ungrounded and suffer from anxiety as it can flood the mind with too much information.
This mudra is traditionally used in Buddhism to help sit in meditation for longer.
Hakini Mudra
Mudra of POWER
Hakini Mudra is one of the most powerful mudras. It creates a channel to control prana - energy in and around your body.
Touch the tips of all the fingers with tips of those of the opposite hand, mirroring each other. Keep the palms separated from one another. Move your hands down in front of your pelvis, and point your fingers towards the floor, or keep them up, in front of your heart or solar plexus. Whichever feels better for the moment.
It is a known gesture which we do instinctively when we want to bring together all our mental resources to one point, to help us make a decision, without any disturbance. It simply brings us back to the present moment and pulls us together.
The main purpose of the mudra is to get in touch with our inner resourcefulness. Sitting with this gesture improves willpower, inner strength and awareness.
It is particularly helpful in enhancing our intentions, and reaching alignment with them. It clears doubt, judgement or over-analysis and helps to stay resourceful in everyday life.
The tip of our fingers contain thousands of somatic receptors that stimulate cellular and intercelularial signals in our bodies, and also connect to the highway of our nervous system and the brain. Practising this mudra regulates our brain activity and the whole system, improves memory and boosts creativity.
Hakini mjudra is named after a Hindu goddess Hakini, a personification of self-realization - an awakened Self. She is the creative part of the Universe.
Hakini Mudra can be practiced for up to 30 minutes every day, not longer.
Kubera Mudra
Mudra of WEALTH
This mudra enhances and engages the deep mind power (subconscious) as it breaks or removes the mental blocks and negative programmes that prevent us from achieving a state of well being and happiness, including material wealth.
Touch the tips of the thumb, index finger and middle finger gently together, and bent the two other fingers towards the base of the thumbs.
This mudra also improves blood circulation.
Mushti Mudra
Mudra od RELEASE
One of a strong therapeutic mudras, helps release tension and blocked emotions - anger, fear and frustration, eases digestion, lowers blood pressure.
Make a fist with each hand with a thumb stretching over the first three fingers towards the ring fingers.
Humans generally form this hand gesture whenever feeling strong negative emotion but the mudra is believed to release such emotions because they are performed consciously.
Practicing this mudra even for 5 minutes helps to release built-up stress.
It also transforms anger into strength and force, being able to combat negative situations in a more steady way.
Namaste mudra afterwards helps to relax the fingers and nervous system.
Naag Mudra
Mudra of INTELLIGENCE
This mudra removes inner obstacles and allows us to use our innermost intelligence and leads to the path of least resistance.
Place your less dominant hand between thumb and the rest of the four fingers of the other hand. Interlock the thumbs.
It refers to the ancient wise beings who knew how to manipulate reality. There is a need of special intelligence to not only survive on this planet but also to thrive.
This mudra clears the pathway and help us see and do things that we need to do in order to achieve what we want to do.
Yoni Mudra
Mudra of SOUL
Interlock all the fingers and straighten index finger and thumb pressing them together.
It rejuvenates the Soul, the invisible and immaterial part of ourselves. The soul works in the background all the time. It can become exhausted by endless patchwork of connections and tasks. We are then left with little energy and inspiration to live our lives.
In today's understanding Ioni means a 'womb', but in the earlier tradition it referred to 'Source'.
It is primarily focused on female energy, and may help with women's conditions and during pregnancy. Practising this mudra can help with emotional disturbances, mental distractions, aches and pains.
It works like a switch off button for all the background psychological processes that are constantly going on without our awareness. It also minimizes the dispersion of prana - our life energy - out of the body. It grounds us to the Earth, which brings a greater sense of presence and stability.
It is not recommended during colds, fever, high blood pressure or cardiovascular issues.
Prana Mudra
One of the most important mudras - it activates dormant energy in our body. Prana is the vital life force within all living things. Alleviates tiredness and enhances eyesight.
Touch the tips of the ring and little fingers to the tip of the thumb. Keep other fingers straight and relaxed.
It can be used as an energetic pick-me-up, reducing fatigue, increasing self-confidence, improving vision.
Prithvi Mudra
Mudra of EARTH
Strengthens the tissues of the body. It is an activation of a more balanced emotional state.
Touch the tip of the ring finger and thumb together. Extend the other fingers. Don’t press the fingers too hard, tap the tips lightly.
Prithvi means the “Vast One” in Sanskrit, which relates to Earth. The earth element has a huge impact on both our physical and mental state. Activating this element makes us stronger, more confident, have more endurance, stability and sturdiness. It reduces inflammations, infections, irritation, anger, impatience, weakness and lethargy.
We can find depictions of Orthodox Christian priests and Jesus depiction holding hands in this way.
This mudra is not recommended to pregnant women or anyone who has an injury in the shoulders, arms, or hands.
Rudra Mudra
Mudra of AUTHORITY
Rudra means ”powerful lord” in Sanskrit, and refers to our personal power center - the solar plexus. It energizes physical body and empowers us to reach the highest potential or any goal.
Connect the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index and ring fingers. Keep other fingers as straight as you can.
It is also related to personal transforming power. Reduces dizziness, exhaustion, overeating, poor performance, promoting empowerment and improves eyesight.
Is therapeutic for low blood pressure.
Shambala Mudra
Mudra of PROTECTION
Lifts the mood and promotes vitality and positive thinking.
Create a fist with one hand and a flat palm with the other. Press the fist into the palm of the straightened hand.
It creates a shield against negative emotions.
Shuni Mudra
Mudra of PATIENCE
Activates a sense of inner peace, patience, stillness, fortitude. It also improves alertness and sensory powers.
Touch the tip of the middle finger to the thumb tip. Keep other fingers straight and relaxed.
It can be practiced easily in any situation.
Shunya Mudra
Mudra of ETHER
Ether or space is the airy element that we need to communicate and orientate.
Touch the tip of the middle finger on the base of the thumb and apply a light pressure with the thumb on the middle finger. Extend the other 3 fingers.
It improves hearing and can be restorative for throat and thyroid conditions.
Surya Mudra
Mudra of SUN
Increases the solar/fire element in the body and improves metabolism and digestion.
Bend your ring finger to the base of your thumb so that your thumb touches the ring finger’s knuckle. Stretch other fingers straight without stressing the hand.
It is useful in reducing slowness, heaviness, helps ward off colds, as it increases body temperature so it is not good in hot weather and during hot flashes.
Uttarabodhi mudra
Mudra of CONFIDENCE
It aligns our Inner Self with Higher Purpose and transforms any disturbing negativity.
Interlock all your fingers. Join the index fingers and thumbs of both hands. We can use this version while speaking, wanting to get our point across.
Do it with your thumbs down, parallel to index fingers and with the thumbs in a cross position.
It is practised to root down our inner being with personal power, enhancing our presence, and lowering any disturbing thoughts, emotions, sensations.
Another, stronger version is where index fingers point upwards, and thumbs point downwards, and touch the solar plexus area. Practice this during meditation, it will align with your inner strength and willpower.
Uttrabodhi mudra really does boost confidence, motivation and self-reassurance. It activates a resourceful mindset, the right words, and the right action. It also feels like it encircles our body in a strong, protective energy.
Practise in times of confusion, stress, overwhelm, challenging situations or lack of motivation. It dissipates blocked energy, emerging as doubts, self-sabotage and fear-based actions. This mudra also strengthens breathing.
Vayu Mudra
Good for diseases related to air imbalances, such as gas-related pain, flatulence, joint pain, bloating, and abdominal discomfort.
Similar to the Gyan mudra - connect the thumb to the knuckle or hump of the index finger. Press down on the index finger to your level of comfort.
The best time to practice Vayu mudra is in the morning, on an empty stomach.
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Sources:
Dhieyo You Tube channel
