Mudras
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8 Kundalini mudras for health and energy
Mudras, also referred to as seals or locks, are another interesting way to use your physical body, to direct energy and intention. Here are my favorite Kundalini mudras.
Vitarka Mudra: What It Is and How Do You Use It?
Need a practice for diffusing conflictual conversations? Who doesn’t?! Use vitarka mudra to elevate your communication and connect with your inner Buddha.
Shakti Mudra: What It Is and How Do You Do It?
Shakti mudra is a beautiful, empowering mudra that invokes the Goddess of divine life energy; Shakti. Learn how to do it here!
Garuda Mudra: What It Is and How Do You Use It?
Freedom is a mindset! Channel the spacious, powerful qualities of the eagle with garuda mudra and set yourself free.
Kali Mudra: What It Is and How Do You Do It?
Did you know there’s a mudra specifically for channeling the kick ass femme within? Meet: kali mudra. These are the benefits and how to do it.
Shunya Mudra: What It Is and How Do You Do It?
Shunya mudra balances the air element in the subtle body. Learn more about the origins of this energy seal and how to practice it.
Varuna Mudra: What It Is and How Do You Use It?
Use varuna mudra to balance the water element in your body and improve mental flow. This is how to do it.
Vayu Mudra: What It Is and How Do You Use It?
Vayu mudra is an energy seal grounded in the very essence of our vitality. Learn how to use it to create harmony in your being.
Venus Mudra: The Seal of Clarity & Empowerment
Here’s my modern take on venus mudra, the seal traditionally used in Kundalini yoga to balance your sexual energy and honor divine polarities.
Karana Mudra: What Is It And How Do You Use It?
Karana mudra is a powerful hand gesture to fight evil spirits. Here’s how to use it (and when not to).
Gyan Mudra: What Is It And How Do You Use It?
The gyan mudra has been around for thousands of thousands of years and is the perfect companion to pranayama breathing. Here’s how to do it.
Dhyana Mudra: What Is It And How Do You Use It?
The dhyana mudra is one of the oldest and most powerful mudras that yogis can use in their meditation practice. Find out more in this post.
Lotus Mudra: What Is It And How Do You Do It?
The lotus mudra, or ‘padma’ mudra, can be used for loving-kindness meditation and is associated with the heart chakra, or anahata. Read this post to learn more.
Dharmachakra Mudra: What Is It And How Do You Do It?
What do the Buddha’s hand gestures symbolize? And why do yogis do it? Everything you need to know about the dharmachakra mudra.
Yoni Mudra: What Is It And How Do You Use It?
What is a yoni mudra and when do you use it? In this post, I break down the magical ways you can add yoni mudra to your practice.
Apana Mudra: What Is It And How Do You Use It?
What is apana mudra and how can you use it in your yoga practice? This quick and dirty breakdown will teach you everything you need to know to use apana mudra today.
10 Powerful Types of Mudras (With Pictures)
You know those hand symbols used in yoga class? They’re called hand mudras and are super powerful. Check out the different types of mudras with pictures.
Main Benefits of Mudras
One of my favorite things to go through in my yoga teacher training are mudras. A mudra is a hand gesture that works with our energies to direct them in a certain way. Mudras are really yoga poses for the hands, when you think about it. A complete yoga practice would include mudras, alongside, meditation, yoga postures, and pranayama.
Where our feet might connect with the Earth’s energy, our fingertips can channel the energy through our chakra system in an intentional way.
There are many types of mudras, but you might not hear your yoga teacher call many of them out during your yoga class. Some of the most popular hand mudras are vayu mudra, vitarka mudra, lotus mudra, apana mudra, gyan mudra, varun mudra, shuni mudra, buddhi mudra, and dhyana mudra.
To give an idea of the power of hand mudras in your yoga practice, I’ll explain how a few of them work.
Apana mudra, for example, is created when you touch the tip of your thumb to the tips of your middle finger and ring finger. The other fingers remain extended. This yoga mudra can be used while seated or during meditation, with the backs of your hands resting on your legs.
This mudra is meant to support downward moving energy, which can help with elimination and detoxification. As a lot of our detoxification of the body involves the intestines, where your solar plexus chakra lives, this mudra can help energy flow through the solar plexus chakra. As the energy moves downward through the body, it cleanses us both energetically and physically.
The dhyana mudra, on the other hand, is “the” meditation mudra. To begin, sit in a comfortable meditation position with your palms facing up. First, rest your left hand in your lap and then place your right hand on top of the left so that your fingers are stacked on top of each other. Connect the tips of your thumbs with comfortable space in between between your thumbs and stacked fingers.
This hand mudra brings a sense of balance and tranquility of the mind, allowing energy to flow freely through both hands as you settle into your meditation practice.
Depending on your own yoga practice and what you need, either in your physical body or spiritual body, you can use a different mudra each time you come to your mat.