You may think of yoga as just another form of exercise, but for some, it is also a spiritual practice. Based in ancient Eastern religious traditions, mudras are symbolic gestures that usually involve the hands and are practiced during yoga postures and yogic meditation. Yoga mudras are emphasized more so in Kundalini yoga than in Hatha yoga, although even the most basic yoga class usually includes at least one mudra -- the anjali mudra, or prayer pose. For believers in this practice, yoga mudras are thought to provide both spiritual and physical benefits by promoting the flow of energy throughout the body.
Pranic Flow
Proponents of yoga mudras believe that practicing mudras benefits the mind, body and spirit by enhancing pranic flow. According to ancient Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, the mudras increase the movement of prana, or life force, throughout the body by influencing energy channels in the body called nadis. Per this belief system, each finger of the hand corresponds with one of the five elements: the thumb is fire; the forefinger is air; the middle finger is ether, the ring finger is earth; and the little finger is water. By balancing these elements within the body and thus facilitating pranic flow through the nadis, yoga mudras are thought to provide both spiritual and physical benefits.
Purported Health Benefits
Each yoga mudra is believed to confer its own unique health benefits. Purported health benefits of some common mudras are as follows: pran mudra improves eyesight and energy levels; apan mudra promotes urinary tract health and eases labor and delivery during childbirth; agni mudra lowers cholesterol and improves digestion; and vaayu mudra helps ease rheumatic pains, gout and Parkinson's disease. According to yoga therapist and author, Indu Arora, yoga mudras may be practiced for 30 seconds to 45 minutes daily to receive health benefits. The health benefits of yoga mudras are not scientifically proven, however.
Mental and Spiritual Benefits
Yoga mudra practitioners also believe that mudras provide mental and spiritual benefits. For example, the prayer mudra, or anjali mudra, practiced in most yoga classes, is thought to provide a centering and balancing effect on the mind and spirit. The prithivi mudra, in which the tip of the thumb touches the tip of the ring finger while other fingers are kept straight, is said to brighten the colors of the aura and also provide patience and tolerance. Other purported mental and spiritual advantages of yoga mudras include calmness, intuition, good luck, mental clarity, and a sharpened intellect.
Considerations
There are no peer-reviewed clinical studies that support the alleged health benefits of yoga mudras or the pranic flow theory behind yoga mudras. However, the health benefits of yoga as a whole are well documented. Potential health benefits of these yoga practices include stress reduction; management of chronic health problems, including depression, cancer, pain and others; increased fitness; and weight loss. The core components of yoga likely responsible for its health benefits include a series of movements, also called poses or postures, and controlled breathing. While the medical benefits specific to the practice yoga mudras are unproven, overall, yoga is a way to increase fitness and reduce stress whether or not you believe in prana or other spiritual components of yoga.
References
- LifePositive.com; Rituals -- Mudras: Graceful gestures; Dipankar Das
- KundaliniYoga.org; Mudras; Guru Rattana; 1988
- Bruce-Bowditch.com; Mudras for Pranayama; July 2008
- Mayo Clinic; Yoga: Tap Into the Many Health Benefits; January 2010
- YogaChicago.com; Mudras: Hand, Face and Body Talk; Indu Arora; March/April 2009
- "Yoga Journal"; For Beginners: Anjali Mudra; Shiva Rea
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