AIR MUDRAS
ENCOURAGING FREEDOM, JOY AND STRESS RELIEF
Part of hand: index finger
Element: air
Related chakra: heart
Physical associations: breathing, circulatory system, arms and hands, sense of touch
Emotional associations: freedom, joy, stress-relief, love, forgiveness, compassion
‘I am the well-known Vayu [Air]; I am the one who moves freely in the sky. I can lift all that is upon the earth.’
Kena Upanishad
The mudras in this chapter focus attention on the index finger. They relate to the element air and to the heart chakra, which governs the relationship you have with yourself. Your index finger is the one you use to make points. In yoga philosophy, it represents your ego – that principle that causes you to experience yourself as separate from everything else in the world. Practising the mudras in this chapter helps to ensure that your heart chakra and air energy are healthy and balanced. In this way they help you to develop greater personal freedom, enhanced compassion and a more joyous way of life; they also reduce your stress levels.
You cannot see the air element, but you can experience it through the senses of touch and hearing. In Sanskrit, air is called vayu, a term that includes all matter in gaseous form including (but not limited to) the air we breathe, steam and wind. The attributes of the air element are restless movement, the ability to expand and dryness.
Air has the quality of what is known in yogic terms as rajas, meaning that one of its defining traits is to want to move constantly. In Ayurveda, the elements of air and ether make up the vata dosha (see pages 18–19), the motivating force behind the other two doshas, pitta and kapha. Vata moves; it achieves goals. Without vata, the other doshas would become stuck and stagnant. However, too little as well as too much movement can cause problems. An imbalance of vata can contribute to a variety of mental and nervous disorders, such as insomnia, mental and physical paralysis, dizziness and feelings of grief. You can bring your vata energy back into balance by practising the mudras and exercises in this chapter.
Your index finger is connected with your anahata or heart chakra (see page 17), the energetic centre of your body and the ‘seat’ of the air element. This is also the base of your prana (see pages 12–13), the non-physical energy often referred to as vital ‘air’. In the physical body, this chakra governs respiration and circulation, and if you have respiratory or circulatory complaints, you may want to begin working with some of the air mudras and associated exercises in this chapter.
The heart chakra also transmutes the higher vibrations from the upper three chakras into grosser forms so that they can manifest on the physical plane; in other words, it transforms consciousness into matter or thoughts into deeds. For example, you may have a great idea, but before you can act on it, you must ‘take it to heart’.
Emotionally, if you are feeling stifled or suffocated by life or lacking in joy, perhaps it is a time for a ‘change of air’. Working with air mudras can help you to feel more confident, while they simultaneously make your mind and body feel lighter and more carefree. Freeing your energy in this way is like taking a ‘breath of fresh air’ and helps you to experience life with fewer mental limitations.
As the seat of your love and compassion, your heart is probably the most complex of the chakras. Above all, as you work with these air mudras, you will probably begin to feel its effects as you notice yourself becoming more empathetic.
Air mudras at a glance |
||
Mudra |
Benefit |
Page |
Vayu |
Helps with joint problems, bloating, sleeplessness and any other issues relating to excessive air |
56 |
Anahata |
Enhances loving relationships; aids forgiveness; improves health of the heart, lung and breasts |
58 |
Padma |
Stimulates emotional cleansing, love, goodwill and communication; counters loneliness, grief and feelings of being drained or exploited |
59 |
Hridaya |
Enhances compassion, empathy and unconditional love |
60 |
Chin |
Generates calmness, inner peace and harmony; aids concentration and meditation |
62 |
Vyana |
Reduces mental tension and enhances feelings of personal freedom |
63 |
Garuda |
Helps control fluctuations in mind and mood, especially during stressful situations |
64 |
Granthita |
Unties emotional knots in times of sadness |
65 |
Pranāpana |
Balances subtle energy; counters motion sickness and dizziness |
66 |
Kshepana |
Helps release of stress and negativity; stimulates feelings of joy and freedom |
68 |
Air Gesture
This is the go-to mudra for physical, mental or emotional issues related to an imbalance of vata energy (see pages 18–19). Ayurveda attributes a range of symptoms to vata imbalance, from joint problems to flatulence and bloating, sleeplessness and dizziness. Vayu Mudra helps restore energy to your joints while reducing pain and aiding mobility. It also supports the healing of tired ligaments, tendons and muscles around the joints. If you spend a large portion of your day in front of a computer, try this mudra to relieve stiff or sore arms, wrists and fingers. It also counters a stiff neck.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting or kneeling position (see pages 20–21). Bring the tips of both index fingers to the base of their respective thumbs, then press your thumbs down onto the top knuckles of the index fingers. Hold for 15 minutes twice daily. For chronic joint pain, practise for up to 30 minutes three times a day.
HOW IT WORKS
By pressing down on the index finger, you reduce and control the element this finger is associated with – air. This removes excess wind and dryness in the body and restores balance to your vata energy.
ACCOMPANYING FOCUSING EXERCISE: HOLD YOUR HAND BENEATH ONE NOSTRIL AND EXHALE. REPEAT WITH THE OTHER NOSTRIL. YOUR BREATH IS PROBABLY STRONGER ON ONE SIDE. THIS CHANGES EVERY TWO HOURS OR SO, SHOWING THE NATURAL RHYTHM OF VAYU (AIR) IN YOUR BODY. REPEAT AT OTHER TIMES OF THE DAY TO NOTICE YOUR CHANGING VAYU.
VAYU MUDRA
IN A BREATHING PRACTICE
Kapalabhati: Shining-skull Cleansing Breath
When you hold Vayu Mudra, the invigorating effects of this exercise become more pronounced. With regular practice, it purifies your system so thoroughly that your face shines with health, hence the name of the exercise: the Sanskrit word kapala means ‘skull’ and bhati ‘shining’. The rhythmic abdominal pumping pushes your diaphragm up into your thoracic cavity, emptying air from your lungs through your nostrils, to be replaced with a blast of fresh air, perfect for increasing alertness.
1 Come into a sitting position (see pages 20–21) with your back straight. Bring both hands into Vayu Mudra and rest them on your thighs with palms facing upward.
2 Take 2–3 deep breaths, then inhale and begin the breathing exercise by contracting your abdominal muscles quickly. Imagine you are trying to blow out a candle by forcing air through your nose. Make the movement short and active.
3 Relax your abdominal muscles so that passive inhalation takes place. Do not forcefully inhale: let your lungs automatically f inflate with air.
4 Repeat this rapid abdominal pumping 20–25 times. End on an exhalation, then take 2–3 deep breaths to bring your breathing back to normal. This is one round of Kapalabhati; try to do three rounds daily, preferably in the morning before eating.
5 When you have finished, release the mudra and gently shake out your hands from the wrists before standing up.
CAUTION: AVOID DURING PREGNANCY, MENSTRUATION OR AN ASTHMA ATTACK, OR IF YOU HAVE A HERNIA, ABDOMINAL PAIN OR CRAMPING, OR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.
Heart Chakra Gesture
This is the key mudra of anahata, your heart chakra which, when open and balanced, enables you to give of yourself, express unselfish love and be more compassionate.
Practising this mudra improves the health of your heart, lungs and breasts. Emotionally, it can assist you in forming and maintaining a loving partnership and other ‘heart-centred’ relationships. It also helps you to forgive. Forgiving is not forgetting or ignoring a wrong, but the ability to observe and process your experience without getting caught up in emotional reactions. Regular practice of this mudra helps to free you from emotional suffering while increasing your capacity for self-healing.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting or kneeling position (see pages 20–21) or stand up. Bring your right ring finger into the web between the index and middle fingers on your left hand. Place the left ring finger into the web between the index and middle fingers on your right hand. Curl both middle fingers down over their opposite ring fingers. Extend your thumbs and your index and little fingers; bring their respective ends together. Hold for 3–5 minutes or longer. This gets easier with practice.
HOW IT WORKS
As your ring fingers (associated with the earth element) push down, excess air and ether elements are eliminated, and the fire, air and water elements come into balance, which supports the heart chakra.
ACCOMPANYING CHANT: TO OPTIMIZE ITS BENEFITS, CLOSE YOUR EYES AS YOU HOLD THE MUDRA AND MENTALLY REPEAT THE MANTRA OF THE ANAHATA CHAKRA, ‘YAM’.
Lotus Gesture
When you practise this gesture your hands mimic the blossoming of the lotus flower – and the opening of your heart chakra. As the lotus grows out of mud, but is unsullied by it, so you should live in the world, but not be affected by negativity.
Padma Mudra stimulates emotional cleansing and can help you to find unconditional love, goodwill and heart-felt communication. It is useful for loneliness and grief, and whenever you feel drained, exploited or misunderstood. It opens you up to inspiration and rebalances the energy of your heart chakra.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting or kneeling position (see pages 20–21). Place your palms and fingers flat against each other in front of your energetic heart centre (against your breastbone). Slowly bend your knuckles and allow your fingers to bow outward, keeping the lower portion of your palms together as well as the tips of your fingers. Now bring the edges of your little fingers and thumbs together as you slowly stretch your other fingers wide. Take 4–5 deep breaths as you hold the mudra.
HOW IT WORKS
By placing your finger and thumb sides together you intensify prana flow. This mudra directs back into your heart centre the prana that might otherwise be dispersed.
ACCOMPANYING AFFIRMATION: AS YOU HOLD THE OUTSTRETCHED FORM OF THE MUDRA, MENTALLY REPEAT THIS AFFIRMATION TO YOURSELF, ‘I OPEN MY HEART TO RECEIVE WHATEVER INSPIRATION I NEED.’
Compassionate Heart Gesture
Practise this mudra if you are looking for unconditional love, genuine affection and compassionate communication, for its ability to channel and balance the flow of prana to your heart chakra, freeing up any blockages. Hri in Sanskrit means ‘heart’ and daya is translated as ‘compassion’. As the heart chakra governs your respiratory and circulatory systems, physical ailments such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and lung and breast disease may be energetically connected with a heart chakra imbalance. Practising this mudra can be a support, gently bringing things back into balance. Hridaya Mudra can also help you to release pent-up emotions and unburden your heart. Try it during a disagreement to give you greater empathy and compassion.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Sit, stand or lie down. Using both hands, bend the index fingers until the tips touch their own bases. Then keep rolling the fingers down until the first knuckles touch the base of each thumb. Join the tips of the thumbs with the tips of their respective ring and middle fingers. Allow the little fingers to remain extended, but keep them relaxed. Hold as you sit quietly or meditate, or whenever you feel the need.
HOW IT WORKS
The air element of the index finger bows deeply to the fire energy of the thumb in this mudra. Your thumb closes a circuit of energy by joining its fire with both the stability of the ring (earth) finger and the freedom of the middle (ether) finger.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: ‘THIS MUDRA HAS SUCH A LOVING FEEL TO IT! A HEALING WARMTH RADIATED OUT FROM MY HEART CENTRE, CREATING A SENSE OF GENERAL WELLBEING IN EVERY PART OF MY BODY.’
Metta: Compassionate Heart Meditation
Adding Hridaya Mudra to this meditation helps untie ‘knots’ in your heart as you forgive people. Don’t move onto the final step until you feel fully comfortable with the meditation.
1 Come into a sitting position (see pages 20–21) or other meditation position. Bring both hands into Hridaya Mudra and rest the backs of your hands on your knees.
2 Close your eyes, making sure your body is upright, but relaxed. Will yourself to remain motionless for up to 20–30 minutes. Take 3–4 deep breaths. Then stop controlling your breath; allow it to find its natural rhythm.
3 Bring your awareness to the centre of your chest. Visualize a rosebud slowly opening. Imagine your heart opening with it. Notice healing warmth radiating from your heart, creating a feeling of wellbeing throughout your body.
4 Mentally repeat this phrase: ‘May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live with ease, free of disease.’ Finish here for the first few sessions. It is important to be compassionate with yourself before progressing.
5 Continue by thinking of someone you care about. Repeat the phrases to that person, using his or her name. Finish here until you feel comfortable with the practice.
6 Finally, continue by thinking of someone who has injured you. Feel your heart communicating compassion to that person. Mentally repeat the same phrases, using the person’s name. End with the Sanskrit mantra Lokah samasta sukhino bhavantu’ or ‘May all beings everywhere be happy and free.’
7 Open your eyes, release the mudra and gently shake out your hands. Take 2–3 deep breaths before standing up.
Unrestricted Consciousness Gesture
Practised with palms facing upward, this is the most commonly used mudra for meditation in the yoga tradition: chin is a Sanskrit word for ‘unrestricted consciousness’. With palms down, the gesture is known as Jnana Mudra (see page 97). Chin Mudra invites calmness and helps you to tune in to yourself and your environment, generating feelings of harmony, peace and communion. The effect is subtle, but with practice your mind recognizes a signal to enter a meditative state as your hands come into position. Chin Mudra also increases bloodflow to the brain, strengthening mental capacity and memory.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting position (see pages 20–21). Form each hand into a circle by touching the thumb tip to the tip of your index finger. Keep the other fingers unbent and relaxed. If you prefer, bring your index finger tips to the first joints of your thumb. Rest your hand backs on your thighs or knees. Hold as you sit quietly or meditate.
HOW IT WORKS
Joining the thumb’s fire element with the index finger’s airiness generates a desire for inner peace. The joining of thumb (symbolizing supreme consciousness) with index finger (individual consciousness) represents the individual ego merging with the universal. In the variation, the individual ego bows to the supreme consciousness.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: ‘I FELT A STRONG CONNECTION WHEN THE FINGERTIPS WERE TOUCHING, LIKE A COMPLETED ELECTRIC CIRCUIT, AND I DIDN’T WANT TO MOVE THEM APART.’
Expansive Prana Gesture
In yoga philosophy, vyana is the subtle energy that governs your circulatory system and enables your muscles to move. It has its seat in your heart chakra and causes energy to radiate outward. On a physical level, stimulating vyana can relieve cold hands and feet. Emotionally, Vyana Mudra arouses a desire for personal freedom and stimulates your heart to open. It cultivates the energy you need to live harmoniously with others – to be charitable and share what you have – and reduces mental tension by encouraging a calm environment. During meditation, it aids concentration.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting position (see pages 20–21) or stand up. Using both hands, join the tips of your thumbs and index fingers, as in Chin Mudra (see opposite). Then bring the tips of your middle fingers to the central part of your thumbs. Your ring and little fingers are extended, but relaxed. Hold as you sit quietly or meditate.
HOW IT WORKS
When the fire element of your thumb joins the airiness of the index finger, it generates a burning desire for peace. By adding pressure from your middle finger (associated with the expansive nature of the element ether, or space), your aspiration radiates into the environment.
ACCOMPANYING VISUALIZATION: SIT HOLDING VYANA MUDRA AND RECALL A TIME WHEN YOU FELT CONTENTED. BREATHE DEEPLY AND REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE YOU WERE AND WITH WHOM. NOW LET GO OF THE DETAILS BUT CONTINUE TO SENSE THE FEELINGS OF WELLBEING. YOU MAY EXPERIENCE A WARM, GLOWING FEELING IN YOUR CHEST.
Eagle Gesture
This wonderful double-handed mudra, frequently used in Indian dance, is connected to the energy of freedom and your ability to explore new situations and take responsibility for life. It activates blood circulation, balances your energy levels, alleviates exhaustion and reduces mood swings.
Practise Garuda Mudra three times a day for 40 days and you’ll feel better able to control the fluctuations of your mind and moods. It is also useful in stressful situations if your breathing becomes restricted. Garuda Mudra is especially powerful in the autumn, when vata energy (see pages 18–19) is more likely to go out of balance.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting position (see pages 20–21) or stand. Raise both hands to chest level and cross your wrists so your palms face your body. Interlock your thumbs and bring your hands flat onto your chest with fingers stretched wide apart, but relaxed. Hold for ten deep breaths. As a variation, start with your hands on your chest, then exhale and bend your fingers in toward your palms, making loose fists. Inhale as you fan your fingers out again, spreading them as wide as possible. Repeat ten times. Feel the two sides of your body becoming more balanced with each breath.
HOW IT WORKS
Joining your thumbs, representing the fire element, produces a burst of energy. All the other fingers remain unbound, leaving their elements free of restraint.
ACCOMPANYING VISUALIZATION: IN THE MOVING VARIATION, VISUALIZE BLOOD PUMPING RHYTHMICALLY THROUGH YOUR BODY AS YOU OPEN AND CLOSE YOUR HANDS.
Knot Gesture
In shape Granthita Mudra resembles a knot, and it helps to untie emotional knots at times of sadness. Grief is the ‘airy’ emotion of the heart – when you lose someone, life feels empty. And if you do not let go of grief and inner wounds, your energy becomes ‘tied up in knots’. In the yoga tradition, your heart chakra is the seat of vishnu granthi, an energetic knot of grief, pain and spiritual limitations. Energetic knots are not blockages but protective mechanisms that shield you from too much energy. Once you become strong enough to handle that energy, those knots gradually open and inner healing takes place.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting or kneeling position (see pages 20–21). Clasp both hands together by interlocking your fingers; make sure the left index finger is on top of the right. Bring the tip of each thumb to the index finger of the same hand, forming two interlocking circles. Rest your hands in your lap or hold them in front of your heart for 3–5 minutes whenever you feel the need.
HOW IT WORKS
By joining thumb and index fingers, you accentuate the air element of the index fingers by adding fire; making two circles doubles the potency. Interlocking the other fingers adds the support of the other elements.
ACCOMPANYING VISUALIZATION: HOLDING THE MUDRA, PICTURE YOUR HEART AS A TANGLE OF THREADS. UNTIE THE KNOTS ONE BY ONE. AS YOU LOOSEN THE THREADS, LET GO OF PAINFUL MEMORIES AND FEEL YOURSELF BECOMING MORE RELAXED.
Taking In and Throwing Out Gesture
Yoga philosophy describes two important aspects of subtle energy, prana and apana: the ability to take in positive energy and to expel what you no longer need. This mudra enhances both aspects simultaneously and is used in kinesiology to boost efficient breathing. It is also a great boon if you suffer from seasickness, airsickness or dizziness. Next time you travel, sit with your hands in this mudra.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting position (see pages 20–21), stand or lie down. Each hand does something different:
Right hand – bring the tips of the thumb, index and middle fingers together.
Left hand – join the thumb to the tips of the ring and middle fingers.
Hold for 5 minutes four times daily, leaving at least 15 minutes between sessions.
HOW IT WORKS
On your right hand, by bringing the fire element of your thumb to the index and middle fingers, you accentuate the air (index) and ether (middle finger) elements that relate to prana, the subtle energy that causes you to breathe in. On your left hand, by joining the thumb to the ring and middle fingers you accentuate the earth (ring finger) and ether elements that relate to apana, the subtle energy that enables you to breathe out.
ACCOMPANYING BREATHING: AS YOU HOLD THE MUDRA, PICTURE YOUR LUNGS AS LONG, SKINNY BALLOONS. TAKE A DEEP BREATH THAT FILLS FIRST THE BOTTOM OF THESE BALLOONS, THEN EXPANDS THE MIDDLE AND FINALLY FILLS THE TOP PART WITH AIR. AS YOU EXHALE, VISUALIZE THIS PROCESS REVERSING.
Matsyasana: Supported Fish Pose
Pranāpana Mudra works best in a pose that permits your lungs to expand to the full, like this supported chest-opening posture. Use it to practise breathing more fully or for relief when your breathing is less easy than usual. You will need a bolster and a firm cushion.
1 Place a rug or yoga mat on the ground and position a bolster or rolled-up blanket on top, so it lies horizontally across the mat. You can practise on a bed or sofa, but a rigid support is best. Sit on the mat and shake out your shoulders to make sure they are fully relaxed. Then lower yourself back so that when you lie down, the bolster comes beneath your upper back, arching your chest up and supporting your upper body. Place a cushion beneath your head for support.
2 Place your legs slightly apart with feet relaxed. Rest your arms on the ground, approximately 45 degrees from your body. Allow them to relax with your hands in Pranāpana Mudra, palms up.
3 Take long, slow, deep breaths for up to 5 minutes. Feel your abdomen rise with each inhalation and fall with each exhalation. Try to draw the air into the lowest portion of your lungs, causing your abdomen and ribcage to expand to the maximum.
4 When you have finished, release the mudra and roll to one side. Take 2–3 deep breaths before pushing yourself to a sitting position and gently shaking out your hands from the wrists.
Letting Go Gesture
This mudra, also known as Uttara-bodhi, the Buddhist seal of spiritual enlightenment, assists you in letting go of any feelings of stress and negativity, helping you toward a state of pure joy. Its name is sometimes translated as the gesture of the ‘sprinkling of nectar’. If you hold the mudra for 3–5 minutes daily, you will begin to sense a subtle energy shift similar to the joyful freedom you experience when you spend time in nature. It also inspires you to share experiences with others.
On a physical level, Kshepana Mudra improves your breathing by enhancing exhalation, increasing your ability to shed anything you and your body no longer need. It can be a useful means of releasing stress before a daunting or difficult task.
HOW TO PRACTISE
Come into a sitting or kneeling position (see pages 20–21) or stand. Using both hands, interlock your fingers, then release your index fingers so they are joined and pointing upward. Hold this position in front of your heart, or with your arms raised straight over your head, as in the asana opposite.
HOW IT WORKS
By joining the energies of both index fingers (representing air), you stimulate the air element, creating a gentle internal ‘breeze’ that blows away the pollution of life and stale ideas.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: ‘AS A STUDENT I’VE FOUND THAT KSHEPANA MUDRA HELPS ME TO LET GO OF EXAMINATION NERVES. I WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND IT TO PERFORMERS – OR ANYONE WHO HAS TO STAND UP AND MAKE A PRESENTATION – TO RID THEMSELVES OF STAGE FRIGHT.’
Ardha-chandrasana: Standing Half-Moon Pose
This classic yoga pose stretches your spine, hips and back muscles laterally, as well as improving circulation. Holding the hands in Kshepana Mudra stimulates the air element, so you feel lifted upward while your feet remain firmly on the ground. It helps to bring a strong, rooted freedom to your practice – and to life.
1 Stand with your feet 5–10cm (2–4in) apart; distribute your weight evenly between both feet. Relax your arms beside your body. Take a few deep breaths.
2 Inhale as you raise your arms straight out to the sides, then overhead. When your hands meet above your head, interlock your fingers, then release your index fingers so they point upward in Kshepana Mudra. Stretch your entire body upward, while keeping both feet firmly on the ground.
3 Retain this upward extension and exhale as you bend to the right in a lateral stretch resembling a ‘half-moon’ shape. Make sure your elbows are straight and your weight is still evenly balanced between both feet. Hold for as long as you feel comfortable, breathing normally. Inhale as you return back to centre.
4 Exhale as you ‘half-moon’ to the left, keeping your hands in Kshepana Mudra. Inhale as you come back to centre.
5 Exhale as you release your hands and sweep them out to the sides and back down by your sides. Repeat the sequence 3–6 times.
6 When you have finished, release the mudra and gently shake out your hands from the wrists.
