Yoga Mudras and Their Importance

Amidst the rush of learning different yoga poses and breathing patterns, often small but important things about yoga practice are overlooked. There is no doubt about the importance of synchronizing breathing with body movements to achieve a better mind body connection, but there is more to yoga practice than just that.

Yoga mudras are one such vital aspect. Mudra Vigyan is simple, since it is all about a few hand postures, which are found to be effective in stimulating different body parts and organs to empower our yoga practice. Including mudras in your yoga practice can take the whole experience to a new level.

According to Mudra Vigyan, each of our hand fingers represents one of the five elements of the body. The little finger represents the Water, index finger the Earth, and so on. And according to Ayurveda our body loses its healthy state whenever there is an imbalance between these five elements. Practicing yoga with appropriate mudras balances the flow of chi energy between these five elements.

Each mudra is associated with more than one body function. However,the way they do that is hard to comprehend intellectually. However, benefits of involving them in yoga practice are quite obvious. So let’s discuss a few simple mudras that you should bring into practice while doing yoga in a lotus pose.

Gyan Mudra

Touch the tip of your thumb with the tip of your index finger without pressing them too hard. Keep rest of the fingers straight. The Sanskrit word ‘Gyan’ means knowledge. That is why this mudra is attained for improving memory and concentration power. Gyan mudra also relieves from headache, stress, insomnia and other anxiety issues.

Vayu Mudra

Place the tip of your index finger at the root of your thumb and press it slightly with thumb while keeping other fingers straight. Vayu means air and it cures the diseases caused by air imbalance in body. Vayu mudra is quite beneficial for people suffering from Arthritis and Paralysis. It is also quite beneficial for people suffering from chronic pain.

Aakash Mudra

Bring together your middle finger and thumb in gentle contact through tips, while keeping rest of the fingers straight. This mudra strengthens our bones, as well as is helpful for people with heart diseases.

Shunya Mudra

Place your middle finger at the root of your thumb. Keeping other fingers straight gently press your middle finger with thumb. Shunya mudra improves our senses, and relieves from gum problems.

Apart from these four, there are several other mudras that practitioners should involve in their practice. If you are to join a yoga center in Rishikesh or Bali or at any other yoga hub, then you are likely to learn and explore more about these mudras, since Ayurveda and Mudra Vigyan are inseparable parts of yoga practice at these places.