What is mudra?

Mudrá is a language of gestures and is a word that should always be pronounced with a tonic a. It literally means gesture, seal or password. It comes from the root mud, meaning ‘to like.’ In some books, it appears translated as symbol, but this is not correct. Symbol is a translation of the word yantra. In Yôga, mudrá refers to those gestures made with the hands. They are defined as reflexological gestures because they set off a succession of states of consciousness and even a succession of physiological states associated with the former.

Mudrá’s origins are in the ancestral Tantric tradition. As Shivánanda affirms, the presence of mudrá, pújá and mantra characterize the Tantra inheritance, and it is with exactly these three angas that SwáSthya Yôga begins its basic practice. This is not a coincidence, as is reflected in the complete name of our lineage of Yôga: Dakshinacharatántrica-Niríswarasámakhya Yôga.

The mudrás work or achieve their effects through neurological association and through reflexological conditioning. We cannot deny, in addition, a cultural component, which reinforces or diminishes the effect of the mudrás. Their influence in the hormonal sphere is undeniable, after all, who hasn’t felt their adrenaline rise because of a provocative mudrá or their sexual hormones rise as a consequence of an erogenous gesture?

Beyond this, the human body, similar to any part of organic material, possesses magnetism and polarities. Energy flows in distinct quantities and qualities throughout the body. Therefore, it is not remarkable that, at one’s extremities – namely the hands – different electromagnetic reactions are manifested by modifying their position, posture, orientation and combination of fingers. Since Kirlian photographs became popular, it has been impossible to deny that rays of photographable energy come from the hands and fingers. What is more is that one can experiment even further by taking a Kirlian photograph before and another after practicing respiratory exercises, ásanas, mantras, meditation, etc. The variations in the photographs are, in the least, very interesting.

The mudrás that are most well-known are:

Shiva mudrá, used for meditation (back of the positive hand resting on the palm of the negative hand).
for man, postive hand is the right had and negative is left. Woman is the opposite once the polarities are opposed. In this mudrá, we should feel our hands as if they were a chalice in which we are receiving the precious ancient inheritance of energy and wisdom. It amplifies our receptivity.

Jñána mudrá is used for meditation and respiratory exercises (the index finger and thumb of each hand should be touching each other).This gesture connects the positive and negative poles, which are represented by the index finger and thumb of each hand. Passing through these is a low voltage current supported by the chakras located in the knees, which are secondary.

Átmam mudrá for respiratory exercises and mantras (the hands form a vortex in front of the swádhisthána chakra).
This seal has an effect similar to the previous one, only that now with all ten fingers involved, forming a high voltage circle and located in front of one of the main chakras. It creates a force that drives the sexual energy spine upwards.

Prônam mudrá for mantra and ásana (palms of both hands are united in front of the chest).
In this gesture, the palm of the negatively polarized hand touches the palm of the positively polarized hand, closing an important electromagnetic circle that makes a circular energy within one’s own body, one that recharges it, especially if executed during or after mantras.
Within the ásanas, this mudrá tends to provide a greater sense of balance and because of this, it is used more in the ásanas that are executed on only one foot.