{"id":8855,"date":"2022-11-23T22:44:50","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T22:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yogajournal.com\/?p=106530"},"modified":"2022-11-23T22:44:50","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T22:44:50","slug":"have-you-been-doing-mudras-all-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/23\/have-you-been-doing-mudras-all-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"Have You Been Doing Mudras All Wrong?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you type \u201cyoga\u201d into your search engine and look for images, you\u2019re likely to come across someone standing in Natarajasana<\/a> (Dancer Pose)\u2013lifted heart, arched back, reaching one hand back to hold a foot high and reaching the other hand forward with a delicate gesture\u2013thumb and forefinger making a circle and three fingers outstretched.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an image that makes yoga and ayurveda teacher Indu Arora shake her head. The problem isn\u2019t the demonstration of the asana. It\u2019s that combination of the asana and the mudra.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you combine hand mudras like that with random asanas, you are making a mishmash,\u201d says the author of Mudra: The Sacred Secret.<\/a> <\/em>In some instances, the pose and the hand gesture are energetically at odds with each other.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s a mudra?<\/h2>\n

We tend to think of mudras simply as gestures\u2014putting our fingers and hands in various positions. But Arora explains that mudras have a much deeper meaning. They are a form of nonverbal communication with yourself, as well as a state of mind expressed through the body. Each is designed to leave a signature on your prana, or breath. \u201cBecause of that subtle shift in the breath, it changes the state of the mind,\u201d she says. This makes it easier to get into \u201ca certain state of awareness or consciousness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mudras<\/a> aren\u2019t just the hand positions. They include any number of internal and external body positions, gestures, and locks. When you roll your tongue in Sitali Pranayama <\/a>(Cooling Breath), you are creating a mudra. The same happens when you cross your eyes and gaze up between your eyebrows in Simhasana<\/a> (Lion Pose). And each of the bandhas, or locks, is an internal mudra designed to contain and direct the prana in a particular way.<\/p>\n

The same way that the term \u201cyoga\u201d refers to both the active practice and to the state of being that results from the practice, mudra describes the gestures as well as the resulting state of being. \u201cMudra is a state of mind expressed through the body,\u201d Arora says.<\/p>\n

Just as each asana has a purpose, each mudra has a job\u2013and ideally the two work together.<\/p>\n

How do mudras impact yoga practice?<\/h2>\n

In hand mudras, the thumb and each finger represent an element. According to yoga tradition, the thumb represents fire, the index finger, air; the middle finger, space or ether; ring finger, earth; and the pinky, water.<\/p>\n

It is the positioning of the fingers and palms in relation to one another that creates energetic signals in the body. Holding different hand positions creates different effects on the body systems.<\/p>\n

For mudras to be effective, we have to hold the position, be still, and wait for a pranic response. \u201cYou have to give it time and not interfere in the process,\u201d Arora says. \u201cAllow the time for it to affect the breath. And that breath leads to a state of mind<\/a> that becomes a mudra.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because the impact of the mudra relies on stillness, mudras are appropriately used during meditation or in asanas that require you to sit or lie still and breathe, such as Sukhasana<\/a> (Easy Pose) or Padmasana<\/a> (Lotus Pose). If you\u2019re using a mudra during an active pose, a moving meditation, or even an intentional pranayama practice<\/a>, you may be negating the effect of the hand gesture.<\/p>\n

When you practice a mudra that\u2019s designed to lock energy with an asana or pranayama exercise designed to unblock energetic pathways, you are confusing the body, she says. Thus the mishmash.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, in seated forward fold, Paschimottanasana<\/a>, the main purpose of the asana is to stretch, which means allowing for extension. A mudra is a lock. So you are confusing the body,\u201d Arora says. There\u2019s a similar energetic friction when you practice Dancer Pose<\/a>, an open-hearted extension, with Jnana Mudra, a closed circuit that you practice when you want to contain energy.<\/p>\n

Using mudras the way they\u2019re intended\u2013to help direct the subtle energies of the body\u2014may mean learning new ways to practice some very common mudras, including the ones below.<\/p>\n

Namaskar Mudra<\/h2>\n

The praying-hands gesture that we generally call Anjali Mudra is more properly called \u201cNamaskar\u201d when you are respectfully greeting another person. \u201cNamaste\u201d is the plural form, reserved for when you are addressing a group.<\/p>\n

Anjali Mudra means \u201cpalms full,\u201d Arora says. \u201cThis is used when you are making an offering to a divinity, not a person.\u201d This follows the Hindu tradition of holding flowers or some other offering between your palms to offer at an altar or in a temple.<\/p>\n

Because this gesture symbolizes unity, it\u2019s important to keep the fingers together, not spread out. Your thumbs will make contact with your heart, lips, forehead, and sometimes the crown of your head. It\u2019s a gentle, quiet gesture. \u201cWhen you join the hands with a clap, that is considered offensive,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

And when you join the hands in this mudra, the gesture automatically communicates its meaning. You don\u2019t have to say Namaste. \u201cYou know when you are writing something and you also bold and underline it? That is what it is like when you\u2019re joining the hands and also saying \u2018namaste,\u2019\u201d Arora says.<\/p>\n

Jnana Mudra<\/h2>\n

This mudra\u2014the first finger and thumb forming a circle with the other three fingers extended\u2014is familiar to people who have been practicing yoga for a while. The pronunciation of it? Less so. It\u2019s tempting to pronounce it the way it looks: janana<\/em>. In fact, it\u2019s pronounced with a hard g sound and that first n is silent: g\u2019yana<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is also called \u2018the Wisdom Seal\u2019 and it has an incredible depth of meaning,\u201d Arora says. The index finger represents the individual mind or ego; the thumb represents conscious awareness and the collective mind. When the two gently meet, they represent the movement from duality to Oneness. The circle your fingers create represents nothingness\u2013the non-attachment<\/a> we are working toward with yoga.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we hold this gesture, we are communicating to our mind, to our breath, that we are beyond this multiplicity and moving toward Oneness,\u201d she says. For this reason, it\u2019s an appropriate hand position to hold during meditation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best time to do this mudra is when you\u2019re sitting still or reclined in meditation, or reciting mantras,\u201d she says. Keep the hands relaxed so that the energy can flow. This is not the mudra to hold when you\u2019re doing an intentional pranayama technique or in an active asana practice.<\/p>\n

Vishnu Mudra<\/h2>\n

When it comes to Vishnu Mudra\u2014the hand position used during Anuloma Viloma and Nadi Shodhana (two variations<\/a> of Alternate Nostril Breathing)\u2014the issue is not the shape you make with your hand as much as it is the placement of your hand during the practice.<\/p>\n

Bring the index and middle finger of your right hand to the base of the thumb, and extend your thumb, your ring finger, and your pinky. Place your thumb and last two fingers at the bridge of your nose. Draw your fingers down your nose until the bony ridge yields to the soft cartilage. That is the place to apply gentle pressure to seal off the flow of breath.<\/p>\n

The correct position of the hand triggers the two marma<\/em> points\u2014energy centers or neurolymphatic points. These connect to the lunar and solar energy channels, or nadis<\/em>. As you inhale and exhale in this pranayama practice, don\u2019t take your fingers away from your nose. Just release the pressure enough to allow the air to flow. If maintaining focus during the practice is a challenge, untuck your first and middle fingers and place them between your eyebrows at the third eye.<\/p>\n

Apana Vayu Mudra<\/h2>\n

Arora urges the practice of a less familiar, but extremely therapeutic, mudra called Apana Vayu Mudra or Maha Mrityunjaya Mudra. To practice it, fold your index finger to touch the root of your thumb, then bring your middle and ring fingers to touch the tip of your thumb. Keep your pinky stretched out. Hold the mudra for at least two minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink of it as the best therapeutic hand gesture\u2014good for everyone, anytime of the day,\u201d she says. It is associated with heart health and with digestion, so it may be helpful to practice before or after meals to help with bloating or gassiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can do it with one or both hands,\u201d she says. \u201cThis can be held when you\u2019re reading a book, watching television, going for a walk, sitting in meditation, before going to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning the meaning and mystery of mudras<\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t worry if you\u2019ve been practicing mudras all \u201cwrong.\u201d Arora isn\u2019t judging\u2013and says we shouldn\u2019t judge ourselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important on this path to accept that at every different level, no matter what, we will be doing something wrong, because we don\u2019t know it all,\u201d she says. \u201cTo think that we know it all is the biggest illusion and the biggest mistake on your own path. We have to stay humble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Practicing mudras effectively includes continued study. \u201cMudra has become a part of selfie culture. It has become a part of posing,\u201d she says. We may find ourselves holding positions without necessarily understanding the history, context, or the deeper meaning.<\/p>\n

Learning new ways to practice familiar mudras\u2013and understanding the impact mudras can have on your practice\u2013may take a little effort. There are dozens of mudras with different purposes that result in different expressions on the physical and subtle body. Arora created a week-long mudra workshop<\/a> to give students a deeper dive. But she says it\u2019s a lifelong practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it better to be curious so that you can pair things up intelligently?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Tamara Jeffries is a senior editor at <\/em>Yoga Journal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Have<\/figure>\n

These important gestures can help deepen your practice when you know how to use them properly.<\/p>\n

The post Have You Been Doing Mudras All Wrong?<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[37,35,36],"class_list":["post-8855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ayurveda","tag-blogs","tag-yoga","tag-yogacourseware"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}