THE WORD “MUDRA” means “seal.” Mudras, which are usually sacred gestures of the hands (see the end of this appendix for descriptions), are a way of configuring the body’s energy circuitry. They are sometimes performed by muscle contractions, as in this case, which employs the two anal sphincter muscles located in the rectum.
The Ashwins are twin male gods of the morning — eternally young, handsome, and athletic, all qualities sought by yogis. In Hindu mythology, the Ashwins are physicians to the gods as well as horsemen known for their goodwill toward humans. The Sanskrit word for horse, ashwa, is a double entendre on the name of the mudra because yogis noticed that horses, greatly appreciated for their strength, have tremendous control over their anal muscles. In Kundalini or Shakti Yoga, the anal sphincters govern the root chakra, helping release primal energy into this first vortex. Perform this mudra before you begin chanting the chakra bijas.
SIT COMFORTABLY in your meditation posture (see chapter twelve for suggestions). Gently contract the anal sphincters. Hold for a count of three, sealing off the anal opening, then release gradually. Be present to the experience, and you will perceive an unfolding of energy like the opening of a flower each time you release the held contraction of the mudra.
USE EACH OF the following mantras, either seven or twenty-one times in rapid succession, employing a quick intake of breath after each utterance. These mantras are best recited internally. They may also be spoken aloud, but not sung. Concentrate on each chakra while you sound the mantra in the appropriate region or center of reference. When you complete the cycle, sit still and maintain an alert awareness of your body’s energy field, taking in all the vibratory sensations that manifest inside your body, in your skin, and in the charged atmosphere immediately outside your body’s physical form.
The mantras all sound like the drink “rum”: Rum as in “rummy,” Yum as in “yummy,” Hum as in “humming.” Do not pronounce lam as in “lamb” or “alarm.” It should be pronounced like the “lum” in “alumni.” Vam rhymes with the others (“vum”).
Lam: I am (or have become) the earth. This bija is associated with the root chakra. Place your tongue on your upper palate to pronounce the mantra. Concentrate on the anal opening.
Vam: I am the cosmic waters. This bija is associated with the sexual chakra. Place your upper teeth inside your lower lip to pronounce the sound with a buzzing. Concentrate slightly above the genitals.
Ram: I am fire. This bija is associated with the power chakra in the abdomen. Roll the tip of your tongue on your upper palate to pronounce the mantra. Concentrate on your navel.
Yam: I am air. This bija is associated with the solar plexus. Separate your upper and lower teeth slightly, push the tip of your tongue toward your teeth, and pronounce the mantra.
Ham: I am space. This bija is associated with the throat chakra. Open your jaws wide to pronounce it.
Om: I am all that is. This bija is associated with the third eye, located in the space between the eyebrows in the center of the forehead. Whisper this mantra softly.
Silence: I am all that is and all that is not. The absence of produced sound is associated with the crown center.
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT YOGA mudra to use after the sequence of chakra bijas just described. Kechari Mudra is sometimes referred to as the “king of yoga mudras.” It is performed by curling the tongue upward and backward, moving it up to the roof of the mouth and pushing it back as far as comfortable. Care must be taken not to injure the tendon that attaches your tongue to the bottom of your mouth.
Kriya yogis, the lineage of Paramahamsa Yogananda, state that the force that is rising upward in the body flows off the end of the tongue, like flames. Here a final connection is made. This mudra causes the pineal gland to vibrate by exciting the pituitary; the energy from these two forces, naturally drawn to each other, unites in the region between the eyebrows, awakening the third eye of unitive vision.1
THE FOLLOWING BIJAS may be used in their pure form —hoom, aim, gam, and so on — for maximum potency. Sit in your favorite meditation position (see chapter twelve) and place your hands in a reverential gesture to chant these mantras. Move between making an external sound (vacaka), a whisper (upaamsu), and a sounding in the heart (maanasa). Inhale deeply after each utterance. Sit quietly when you are finished.
If uttered, say these mantras clearly and in articulate continuity, without rushing them or slurring the syllables into one another. They have been hyphenated in order to help you visually break down the syllables with ease. Remember to apply all the rules of pronunciation presented in appendix one to all the mantras in these subsequent appendixes.
To use these bija mantras devotionally, and to soften their effect, use Om before the mantra and Namaha after it. As explained in chapter eight, this adds a “time-release” or “buffered” effect to the power to the mantra.
Another variation combines the bija of a particular deity with the name of the deity. This is a powerful form, which can also be sung. The tones are easy, as indicated by the grids that follow. This third variation, which includes the name of the deity, may also be written in a dedicated mantra notebook, a practice known as likhita japa, or “writing mantras.” Set an objective of writing 108 or 1,008 mantras; recite them clearly in your mind, or whisper them, as you write. You don’t have to complete writing them all in a single sitting.
On special days of retreat, you may use a single mantra for a whole day, reciting it aloud, whispering it, writing it, or saying it in your mind. Otherwise, set a time period, say seven or twenty-one minutes, and write or recite for that amount of time. You may also recite these mantras using maala beads.
Hoom: Varma bija; embodys the energy of Shiva. Use it when tired or eager to infuse strength and stability into your soul.
The pure sound: Hoom
Devotional variation: Om Hoom Na-ma-ha
Sung variation: Om Hoom Shi-vaa-ya Na-ma-ha
The following tonal structure can be applied to all these mantras:
Aim: Bija of Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and learning. Use this mantra to remove mental blocks and to awaken creativity.
The pure sound: Aim
Devotional variation: Om Aim Na-ma-ha
Sung variation: Om Aim Sa-ras-wa-ta- ye Na-ma-ha
Gam: Bija of Ganesh. (Sounds like chewing gum.) Use it to remove obstacles in life and at the beginning of new undertakings.
The pure sound: Gam
Devotional variation: Om Gam Na-ma-ha
Sung variation: Om Gam Ga-na-pa-ta-ye Na-ma-ha
Kshroum: Bija of Narashima, the combined energy of the human and animal realms. Use it to remove fear.
The pure sound: Kshroum
Devotional variation: Om Kshroum Na-ma-ha
Sung variation: Om Kshroum Na-ra-shim-haa-ya Na-ma-ha
Kleem: Bija of Kaamadeva. Use it when lethargic or disinterested in life to awaken passion and bring satisfaction into your life.
The pure sound: Kleem
Devotional variation: Om Kleem Na-ma-ha
Sung variation: Om Kleem Kaa-ma-de-vaa-ya Na-ma-ha
Dum: Bija of Durga. Use it when situations are clouded over or darkened. This mantra dispels ignorance and channels a powerful light into those situations.
The pure sound: Dum (Sounds like “whom,” but without prolonging the vowel; avoid saying it like “doom” as in “doomsday.” Follow the pronunciation guide, placing the tip of your tongue between your teeth.)
Devotional variation: Om Dum Na-ma-ha
Sung variation: Om Dum Dur-gaa-ya Na-ma-ha
Shring: Bija of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Use this mantra to generate abundance and to attract prosperity into your life.
The pure sound: Shring
Devotional variation: Om Shring Na-ma-ha
Sung variation: Om Shring Ma-haa-laksh-mi-ye Na-ma-ha
Kreem: Bija of Kali. Use it to dispel sorrow, to destroy negative thoughts and images, and to rid yourself of illness.
The pure sound: Kreem
Devotional Variation: Om Kreem Na-ma-ha
Sung Variation: Om Kreem Ma-haa Kaa-li-ye Na-ma-ha
Hreem: Bija of Bhuvaneshwari, mother of the universe. Use it for any purpose.
The pure sound: Hreem
Devotional Variation: Om Hreem Na-ma-ha
Sung Variation: Om Hreem Bhu-va-nesh-wa-ri-ye Na-ma-ha
THE FOLLOWING TANTRIC mantras have a devotional quality, so they are often sung. The first mantra is popular in yoga studios across America; the third is a special variation of the same. The other mantras are not common to most Western yoga practitioners, but they are wellknown among Tantric initiates and Shakti worshippers in India.
Om Na-mah Shi-vaa-ya
Translation: We worship the dance of energy that is creation.
Direction: Use Om Na-mah Shi-vaa-ya to deal with strong changes in your life, or simply to celebrate life in all its fullness. It is also a wonderful mantra for developing detachment from worldly concerns, infusing the yogi with inspiration toward spiritual pursuits.
Om Aa-di Pa-raa Shak-ti-ye Na-ma-ha
Translation: We offer praise to the primal, feminine energy that is the matrix of the universe.
Direction: Use Om Aa-di Pa-raa Shak-ti-ye Na-ma-ha to create a powerful force-field around you, especially in times of danger. You may also use it to protect your loved ones, visualizing their physical form as you chant the mantra.
Om Na-mah Shi-vaa-ya, Shi-vaa-ya Na-mah Om
Translation: We worship the dance of creation; may it dance itself through us.
Direction: Use this mantra palindrome to churn psychic toxicity out of your body, your place of work, your home, or a relationship. This particular variation will get the energy in your chakras to swirl around, so be prepared for strong sensations to arise in your awareness.
Om Hreem Shreem Kreem Pa-ra-maesh-wa-ri-ye Svaa-ha
Translation: The first three bijas belong to three powerful forms of Shakti: the Earth mother Bhuvaneshwari, the goddess Lakshmi, and Kali. Para, as you know, means “great”; Ishwari is the feminine form of addressing the goddess as ruler of the cosmos. This very sacred mantra summons the immensity of all the feminine energy that is available in the universe.
Direction: This is the root mantra of Devi, the supreme goddess. It is good to use this mantra in a ritualistic manner by offering leaves, flower petals, milk, or turmeric to a form of the goddess that you are most in tune with. Use this mantra conscientiously: its power is greatly venerated among Tantrics and believed capable of obtaining any type of result.
Om Shak-ti, Om Shak-ti, Om Shak-ti Om
Aa-dhi Shak-ti, Ma-haa Shak-ti, Pa-raa Shak-ti, Om
Translation: We praise Divine energy in all its forms; she is primal, great, and supreme.
Direction: Use this mantra in a standing position with your hands joined all the way above your head in the namaste gesture, arms straight up. This mudra is reserved for use when we want to bring ourselves into conscious awareness of the most high and to raise our energy all the way to the top of our head. Use this mantra to revive energy in your body, your mind, or in any situation or relationship that is losing energy. Stomp your feet while chanting the mantra, visualizing any negativity draining out through your feet and into the earth.
Kaa-li, Kaa-li, Ma-haa Maa-ya, Na-mo Kaa-li-ke Na-mo Na-ma-ha
Translation: We honor Kali for her ability to create the illusion of this world of forms. By her grace this veil will be removed, and we will directly behold the glorious vision of Divine presence.
Direction: Use this mantra when you are confused about what to do in a relationship or professional situation. Sit in your meditation posture (see chapter twelve), raise your palms above your head, interlace all fingers except the forefingers, which are stretched upward together to create a steeple-like effect. This mudra functions like a magic wand, dispelling any static that is interfering with your deepest perception.
MANY SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS around the world claim that there is a tremendous flow of energy in our hands. In yoga, each finger represents one of the five elements:
Elements Associated with the Fingers
thumb |
agni (fire) |
forefinger |
vaayu (air) |
middle finger |
akasha (ether) |
ring finger |
prithvi (earth) |
little finger |
jala (water) |
The fingers are also associated with the planets:
Planets Associated with the Fingers
index finger |
Jupiter |
middle finger |
Saturn |
ring finger |
Uranus and the sun |
little finger |
Mercury |
thumb |
your personal energy field |
The fingers are also associated with the gunas, or aspects of nature:
Gunas Associated with the Fingers
thumb |
Paramaatma, the Divine or cosmic soul |
index finger |
jiva, the individual soul |
middle finger |
sattva (purity) |
ring finger |
rajas (activity) |
little finger |
tamas (inertia) |
Yoga mudras make use of special gestures involving the fingers to create specific circuits of energy in our spiritual and physical bodies, connecting us with the energy of the universe.
THE FOLLOWING FOUR mudras are powerful gestures that can accompany your mantra recitations, especially in Shakti Yoga:
Ginana mudra: Gnana means “wisdom.” (This n is pronounced like the “n” in “singe” or “ginger.”) For this mudra, touch the tip of the index finger to the tip (or middle) of the thumb to stimulate sacred knowledge and spiritual understanding.
Shani mudra: Shani is the name for the planet Saturn. In this mudra, connect the tip of the middle finger with the tip of the thumb to confer patience and facilitate purity of intention.
Soorya mudra: Soorya is the sun. For this mudra, connect the tip of the ring finger with the tip of the thumb to increase health and vitality.
Buddhi mudra: Buddhi is the intellect. For this mudra, touch the tip of the little finger to the tip of the thumb to enhance clarity. This is a great gesture for improving communication.