Mudras Explained

A yoga practice challenges and encourages you to use your body in many ways, but ultimately with the intention of awakening self-awareness. Mudras are powerful tools for achieving this. Mudra, which means “seal” in Sanskrit, is a symbolic gesture practiced with your hands and fingers. Different areas of the hands are connected with areas in the body and the brain. When paired with pranayama (yogic breathing exercises), yoga mudras have the ability to stimulate and direct the flow of prana (life force) in your body and influence overall mood.

Utilizing mudras throughout a yoga practice helps to cultivate stillness of mind, while refining and intensifying overall awareness. The next time you roll out your mat, or notice yourself becoming tense while sitting in traffic, tap into your breath and try out one of the following mudras:

Chin Mudra

What it means

• Chin = consciousness

• Also known as the jnana (wisdom) mudra 

• Symbolizes patience and discipline

• The forefinger represents “self” and the thumb represents “consciousness”; connecting your thumb and forefinger symbolizes the union of self and universal consciousness

What it's used for

• Quiets and focuses the mind

• Increases creativity

• Rids your body of dull energy

• Brightens overall mood

Ganesha Mudra

What it means

• Ganesha = deity who provides strength to overcome obstacles that may arise in life

• Energetically and physically strengthening for your heart

What it's used for

• Helps to boost confidence and lift your spirits when you are feeling down

• Releases tension and tightness from your shoulders and chest

• Beneficial for those suffering from heartache, depression or feelings of heaviness 

• Builds courage to approach life with an open heart

Anjali Mudra

What it means

• Anjali = gesture of respect or salutation

What it's used for

• Induces a meditative state of awareness

• Reduces stress and creates clarity by calming your mind

• Used at the beginning of a yoga practice to seal in a heartfelt intention

• Used at the end of a yoga practice while saying Namaste (“I bow to you”) as an expression of gratitude between student and teacher

Dhyana Mudra

What it means

• Dhyana = meditation

• Gesture of contemplation and total balance

What it's used for

• Creates profound concentration

• Brings peace, tranquility and absolute balance to your body and mind

• Balances the right and left sides of your brain