The origin of the yoga mudras is not known it has been in the practice from the thousand of the years in Hinduism and Buddhism. It has been practiced in many forms like tantric rituals, Indian classical dance and so on. Generally, a mudra is a hand gesture that originally helps the flow of the energy to enter inside the particular area of the brain and body.
While you practice yoga you have to use the body in many different ways. With the help of the mudras, the energy is produced in the body can be generally used for healing the body and mind.
Mudras are originally part of yoga and are mainly practiced with the help of hands. That’s why we call them hand mudras. When we practice the mudras our body is stimulated to create an energy in the body.
Here in this yoga guide we have compiled a list of 10 types of yoga mudras, meanings and their benefits with pictures. Without any ado lets drive straight into the guide.
What does each finger mean in yoga?
According to yoga the whole universe is made with the five elements, and every element is represented with the five fingers. The thumb of the forehand represents the fire, then the index finger represents the air, the middle finger represents the space, the ring one indicates the earth and the little one represents the water.
List of 10 Best Yoga Mudras, Meanings and Their Benefits With Pictures
According to yoga, these 10 mudras are most important to stimulate the numerous parts of the body and brain. These are described below as per the importance:
Gyan mudra
This mudra is one of the most commonly practiced mudra in yoga. This form of mudra is normally well-known as the hand over gesture. This mudra is basically used to dominate the capability to restore the mind in one place. Generally, this gesture is used in many of the rituals as a symbolic gesture especially in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Meaning: This yoga mudra is practiced for the peace of mind. It is practiced for the relaxation of the entire body. It even stimulates the entire brain and it especially stimulates the nervous system of the mind.
Benefit: It can help you in relieving the mind & body stress and improves the concentration of the mind and creates a peaceful mind.
Prana mudra
Prana mudra holds superior importance to maintain the balance of nature. To practice this mudra you need a quiet room that will awake the senses like a millennial thing. This mudra helps the human being to turn on the inactive energy of the body and mind. This is the most vital mudras for human beings because it completely energies the entire parts of the body.
Meaning: Prana mudra symbolizes the power and courage of life. It offers great health and energy for the body. Generally, it helps to improve the eyesight, reduces the deficiency of the vitamins, relaxes the body, and offers the body to resist the major diseases.
Benefits: It reduces hunger during the fasting and provides you a great sleep all night. Basically, it helps to stimulate the entire body and energies the internal organs of the body.
Dhyana yoga mudra
Generally, the dhyana yoga mudra is mutual across the numerous eastern conciliation disciplines and it is often gestured as the Buddha picture. If you want to practice this mudra, then sit with your left hand facing upward. And after it, you have to put the right hand over the left representing as the enlightenment.
Meaning: Dhyana mudra is known also as the mudra of the mediation. This helps one body to improve the concentration of the mind. It is even known as the samadhi mudra by the yogis.
Benefits: It helps in building the abilities of the calmness and concentration of the body and mind. Also, it helps for deep thinking and increases the healing power of the body.
Don’t miss:
Yoga Poses for Degenerative Disc Disease
Best Yoga Poses for Mental Health
Best Pregnancy Yoga Poses for Normal Delivery
Yoga Vs Gym for Weight Loss: Which is Better?
Apana mudra
Our complete body is overflowing with toxins which always creates an upsetting consequence for the body. Generally, this mudra helps in eliminating the negativity and waste material of the body.
Meaning: generally it means a downward moving force which indicates that it detoxifies the entire body.
Benefits: it helps the human being to prevent the bloating and help to improve the digestion system. It also helps the major problems related to reproduction. And it even helps to reduce the major risk of heart attacks. This mudra treats diabetes by reducing the stress level in the body.
Surya mudra
This mudra is associated with solar energy in our body system. Generally, this mudra reduces the earth component. This mudra is directly connected to the eyesight of the human body.
Meaning: the Surya mudra means the gesture of the hand to the sun. Generally, it represents the energy gain through the help of the sunlight. The Surya Mudra represents the fire constituent of the body.
Benefits: This is a great solution for increasing eyesight and improving the vision of the eye. This mudra is also an excellent solution for weight loss. This is also helps the shivering hands, feet, and legs by increasing the heat of the entire body.
Akash mudra
This is a mediation mudra that helps the human by improving the health of the mind and body. This type of mudra is often seen in many of the Buddha statues. It is basically known to increase positive thoughts in the human body. This even removes the entire negative thoughts and unwanted emotions from the body and mind.
Meaning: Generally the Akash mudra means the sky or space and the mudra mean the gesture. The practice of this mudra unites the universal consciousness of the human mind and body.
Benefits: Akash mudra generally helps the human body to balance the earth element in the mind and body. This mudra basically centralize the soul energy which makes the human mind to remove the unwanted emotions form the mind. It even regulates the metabolism in the body and treats the diseases of the ulcer.
Must read:
Yoga Hand Mudras for High Blood Pressure
Matangi mudra
It is believed that this mudra is the worship for the tantric goddess Parvati Devi. Practicing this mudra controls the lethargy and acquires the immense energy in the body. It also helps one to gain immense knowledge.
Meaning: It is defined as the stress plus reinforces thorough the breathing cycle of the entire body. This mudra is associated with the internal god plus the royal rulership.
Benefits: Generally this mudra helps the human body to be energetic and develop the harmony of the soul. It even increases the self-confidence and helps to get clarity in life. This mudra helps to improve the digestive organs and circulatory system in the human body.
Brahma mudra
This mudra is also known as the Surya Chandra mudra. This is the most important mudra in yoga due to its great benefits. It is basically named over the supreme creator ‘Brahma’. This is often practiced to coordinate the movement of the human neck, head, and mind with the chants of Omkara.
Meaning: this is the most important mudra because of its benefits. Brahma mudra helps to coordinate the energy flow in particular areas of the brain. This is named after the supreme creator ‘lord Brahma’.
Benefits: This mudra is the best way to go in the calm vibe and silence of the mediation. Generally, the people who are continuously suffering from drowsiness and stomach ache are advised to perform this form of yoga mudra. With the help of this form of mudra, you can get a sense of security and assurance from the eternal soul. It keeps you calm and reduces the stress from the body.
Chinmaya Mudra
This mudra is basically known as the gesture of awareness. It is a simple hand mudra using the index finger and thumb. With the continuous practice of the Chinmaya mudra, you can aware of the flow of the breath and energy in your body and mind.
Meaning: Chinmaya mudra means mudra of embodiment of knowledge, and if someone practices it continuously then it will help to bring supreme awareness to his mind and body.
Benefits: This mudra helps the human to gain the appropriate knowledge and offers relief from anxiety and stress. Basically, this mudra also helps the human body to control and improve the blood pressure and digestions system. This Chinmaya mudra is the best option to sharpen your memory.
Shunya yoga Mudra
This form of mudra is basically known as the motion of the emptiness. With the help of this mudra, you can reduce the space elements in your body and completely calm your chaotic mind. Also, you will be able to remove all the restlessness and feelings of the anxiety by improving the sense of your balance in your body.
Meaning: Generally the Shunya means the zero which indicates the emptiness. Thus the shunya mudra is called the gesture of the void.
Benefits: This mudra helps the human to control the travel sickness and even vertigo. It basically reduces the numbness of the head, chest, and other parts of the body. The practice of this mudra even treats the problems of the ears.
You may also like to read:
Yoga for Eyes: 9 Yoga Exercises to Improve Eyesight
5 Ways to Incorporate Yoga Into a Busy Schedule
12 Steps of Surya Namaskar
Yoga for Gastritis
How does Yoga Mudra Work?
Simply the mudras in the yoga are the different hand positions. Traditionally you have to use your hand and fingers in the particular positions to control the energy flows in your mind and the entire body system.
- When you change your movement of the hand and fingers then you alter the prana in your body parts. All the meridians basically end or begin in the hand or feet.
Therefore the mudra cures many of the unbalanced diseases. The yoga mudra starts the electromagnetic currents in the body and balances the numerous elements and restores the health of the body.
Science of the yoga mudras
Literally, the word mudra means ‘a seal’ and it is a particular position of the hand. Basically, the mudras are the subtle science that arranges the body in a specific way. The technique by which your entire body system functions can be changed just by changing the picky position of the fingers and hand. However, this is the entire science which involves the circuitry and geometry of the entire body. Generally, by holding the particular mudra you can energies your body in a specific manner.
Conclusion
Yoga mudras are the most vital and essential part of the yoga. Generally, the mudras are the mostly practiced in bandha, asana, and pranayama proficiencies. The mudras are generally connected with the shifting of the spiritual and mental energies of the human body. This transform in the human body and channelizes the inside energy disturbing the veins, organs, and sensory glands of the human body.
FAQs
How do the hand mudras work?
Basically by altering the hands and fingers we alter of the energy flow in the body. Also, the mudras balance the five elements in the body which are space, water, earth, fire, and air as well.
Can mudras be done with one hand?
Of course many of the single-handed yoga mudras are practiced by yogis. In many of the Buddha statues, we can see single hand mudras.
Reference:
Classification of Electrophotonic Images of Yogic Practice of Mudra through Neural Networks