What are Mudras & How to Use Them

The Five Elements on Your Hand

In ayurveda, the oldest healing science, Each finger is characteristic of one of the five elements:
– the thumb is fire (agni)
– the index finger is air (vayu)
– the middle finger is ether (akash)
– the ring finger earth (prithvi)
– and the little finger is water (jal)

• Fire, or agni in Sanskrit, serves as a source of warmth. The heat from our breath and other parts of our body correspond to this element.
• Air, or pavan in Sanskrit, is believed to be the highest of all the elements. Within the body, your breath is the air element.
• The great unifier of the elements is Ether, known as aakash in Sanskrit. Ether is thought to bring the other four elements together and allow them to prosper.
• Earth, or bhumi in Sanskrit, corresponds to anything solid. For instance, in your body earth elements include skin, bone,hair, teeth and organs.
• Water, or jala in Sanskrit, is critical to the survival of all living things and as such is one of the most important elements to keep in balance. All of the liquids in our bodies stem from this element.

How to Use Finger Mudras

In order to affect either the emotion or body part, squeeze the corresponding finger on both sides.
• For emotions relating to fear or issues related to the kidneys, activate your little or pinky finger
• For emotions relating to anger or issues connected to the liver, gall bladder, or central nervous system, activate your ring finger
• For dealing with the emotion of impatience or the heart, small intestine, circulatory and respiratory systems, activate your middle finger
• For emotions relating to depression, sadness, and grief or issues with the lungs, activate your index finger
• For dealing with the emotion of worry or anxiety or for reoccurring stomach issues, activate your thumb

There are countless mudras and evidence of their practice has been found on every continent by all religions and other energetic practices for thousands of years.

To do these, it’s very simple, you just take the hand position and have the intention of what you’re looking to achieve and I’m going to tell you a few and have a lot more in the blog for this video.

More Mudra Tips:

– Start by cleansing the energy of your hands by rubbing them together for a minute and imagine energy going into your hands, I show this in more details in my how to meditate video.

– It’s a good idea when doing these to put the tongue to the roof of your mouth as helps flow of energy and connects two energy centers in your head.

– Also take slow rhythmic breaths and close your eyes and look up and in if possible towards your third eye.

– Keep it for at least a couple of minutes and it’s most effective to do them 15 minutes or so, it could be done as part of your meditation or you can even do them with your hands in your pockets, without attracting attention.

We already talked about hakini mudra, I use this when I’m writing or speaking to help gather my thoughts. You can use it when studying or thinking creatively. Another way to make it even more powerful is to hole it in front of your third eye,

1. Gyana Mudra (giyan ) – In Video Above

This might be the most used mudra just bring the tips of the thumb and index finger together, and keep the other three fingers together, lightly stretched.

This helps to increase concentration, creativity, or memory. Keep your palms facing upwards when looking to receive something such as light or knowedge and down when you want to ground yourself. (that’s called chin mantra)

The knee in this postion is also important as there are maridian lines that run up your inner thigh to your knee so putting your hands there is not just for convenience.

This mudra can also help to with more positivity, and relieves insomnia, lower stress & anxiety.
On another level it also represents unity of universal and individual consciousness.
As the thumb represents universal consciousness and The index finger represents individual consciousness. So it’s the joining of the two.

2. Shuni Mudra (See Video)

Bring the tip of the middle finger and thumb together,

this is good for patience and discipline, and helps us generate a feeling of stability.
Use this when you want to have more follow through on your projects or tasks.

3. Dhyana Mudra (See video)

To do this, place your hands on your lap, left palm under, palms facing up, and the tips of the thumbs touching.
This mudra provides calming energy for meditation and is used for deep contemplation and reflection.

This is one you often see the Buddha pictured doing and it’s to bring you into deeper, more profound concentration and inner peace.

4. Prana Mudra
 (See video)

The mudra of life – it is said to increase your prana or chi. All you do is touch your thumb to your ring and pinky finger at the same time.

– immunity, reduces fatigue, helps control hunger especially if you’re fasting. – I do this anytime I’m sick or feel it coming on. This is a powerful one and you can do it when working long days.

The Prana mudra is said to be one of the most important mudras due to its ability to activate dormant energy in your body. Prana is the vital life force within all living things. This mudra will help awaken and enliven your personal prana, and put you more in tune with the prana around you.

Healing benefits: Awakens dormant energy in the body, boosts our immune system, reduces appetite, removes tiredness and brings about more flow.

5. Buddhi Mudra

By touching the tips of the little finger and thumb together, you are enhancing intuitive communication. The elements of fire and water are brought together, and this symbolizes communication and openness. It can also help strengthen your intuitive knowledge.

for mental clarity. You perform this gesture when you need to understand intuitive messages from your subconscious (i.e., dreams or meditations that puzzle you). One of the most powerful benefits of this mudra can be found in the improvement of communication, such as improving internal and external dialogue.

6. Surya Ravi Mudra

Unite the tip of the ring finger and the thumb, this is good for energy, stamina, and health, particularly with digestion, and it provides us with a feeling of balance. It can also help with bringing positive changes into our lives.

7. Surya

The Surya mudra is intended to increase the solar/fire element in the body and improve metabolism and digestion. It is also useful in reducing heaviness in the body and to help ward off colds, since it increases core body temperature.
Method: Perform this mudra by bending your ring finger to the base of your thumb so that your thumb touches the ring finger’s knuckle. Stretch your other three fingers straight without stressing the hand.
Elements: Space+ Water

9. Apana

The Apana mudra is good for mental or physical digestion and for eliminating waste material from the body. This gesture may also be a form of aiding in mental and emotional digestion when applied to “evil” outside of the body.
Method: To do this posture, bring your second and third fingers to your thumb. The way you position your fingers may differ depending on the discipline you are learning from. Some say that you should rest the two fingers just slightly behind the tip of the thumb, but in many depictions, this mudra is demonstrated by bringing the middle and ring finger to the tip of the thumb.
Elements: Space+ Fire+ Water

10. Ganesha

The Ganesha mudra is widely used and is named after the Hindu Ganesh. Ganesha is said to be a remover of obstacles. Similarly, this mudra is great for relieving yourself of all types of obstructions in your life; it can help you regain positivity and courage when dealing with hard times. By performing this mudra, you bring your attention and energy into the heart center, opening up your lungs and heart to the subject of your meditation.
Aside from the mental and spiritual benefits on your heart chakra, the pulling motion is also beneficial to your cardiac muscles and good for tension in this area of the body.
Method: Place your left hand in front of your chest with your palm facing outward and left thumb down. Next, place your right hand in front of your left with your right palm facing toward you and your left palm. Lock your fingers together, holding them in a half-bent position like a claw.
During your meditation, inhale deep, holding your hands in this gesture, then pull outwardly on your hands as you exhale without unlocking your fingers. Repeat this motion up to six times, then reverse the gesture (i.e., put your right hand in front of your chest facing outward with the thumb down). Be sure to perform this mudra the same number of times in each direction to maintain the balance of the pulling act.
Elements: All

11. Vayu

The Vayu mudra is good for diseases related to air imbalances, such as gas-related pain, flatulence, joint pain, bloating, and abdominal discomfort. This mudra helps regulate Vata-related issues, both mental and physical, relieving them by bringing your air element back into its proper flow.
Method: At first glance, this mudra may seem very similar to the Gyan mudra. The difference is the Vayu has you connect the thumb to the knuckle or hump of the index finger, as opposed to the fingertip in Gyan. Press down on the index finger to your level of comfort; this gesture is intended to relax not strain the joint. For optimal results, do your Pranayama exercises while holding this mudra.
Elements: Space + Air

12. Rudra

This mudra is often associated with Shiva as it applies to your internal transformative abilities. The word Rudra means ”lord” in Sanskrit, which is fitting for this gesture because the main benefits affect your personal power center—the solar plexus. It is said to improve clarity and concentration of thought. Often this mudra is prescribed for those dealing with dizziness, exhaustion, and chronic tension in their body. You can use the Rudra mudra (say that out loud for a laugh) to energize your physical body and empower you to reach your highest potential or goals.
Method: To do this mudra, connect your thumb to your index and ring fingers while keeping your other two fingers as straight as you can.
Elements: Space + Air + Water

Organ and Emotions:

First, the close connection between anxiety and the stomach make complete sense to me. Whenever I am feeling super anxious, my stomach very quickly becomes my enemy. I also find it amusing – albeit in a sophomoric way – that the middle finger corresponds to impatience. Lastly, I think about individuals who imbibe in too much alcohol and how when the liver is in overdrive, so then is their ability to regulate the emotion of anger. Do you see any other connections that you can make either in your life or in the lives of your friends and family?

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