Yoga Mudra might be THE pose that first started my love affair with yoga.
Although it’s hard to pinpoint that moment so precisely, without a doubt, yoga mudra gave me a such feeling of calm and inward reflection that it took me by surprise. I had never really had the experience of intimate communion with my body in that way up until that moment in my life. Up until there had been a bit of a struggle between me and my body. This pose changed that.
Yoga mudra, like all poses, is not just one static form, or state, but consists of an entire vinyasa krama (lit., “steps done in a certain way”), as Sri T. Krishnamacharya would say.
Although here we are only showing the “state of the pose,” there’s a lot of beauty contained within this pose’s graceful entry and exit.
- First there’s the settling into the seated position…while the mind also begins to settle.
- Then the arms float around behind the body, subtlety opening the chest and externally rotating the shoulders.
- There’s the moment the hands touch, and they establish a circuit of energy that circles around from the heart to the back side of the body.
- Next, there’s the folding forward as the body begins to curl into itself, and the moment the forehead touches the floor—a moment of devotional surrender.
The exit is similarly as eventful and I especially appreciate the feeling of prana assisting the arms to float back around to the front after releasing the finger lock.
Because of yoga mudra’s ability to settle the mind, it’s a great pose with which to begin your practice, or end it.
If you’re a teacher, it’s fun to surprise students by adding this pose in an unexpected place within a vinyasa, perhaps after a demanding standing sequence. Just drop down into vajrasana from your downdog and move directly into the pose. Yummmmm….delicious.
Below are some additional details about this asana…as usual, download the pdf of this tip sheet at the bottom of this post.
asana name = yoga mudra
- yoga = to join or yoke
- mudra = seal or closure
benefits
- Stimulates abdominal organs, relieves constipation and balances metabolism.
- Stretches the shoulders, chest, back and arms.
- Quiets the mind, giving a nice break from computers and other stimulating devices.
- Opens heart center.
- Flushes many of the lymph nodes in main areas of the body.
- Stimulates second, third, fourth and sixth chakras. Seventh as well if you lift onto the crown.
contraindications
- Dizziness
- High blood pressure
- Neck, knee or shoulder injury
- Eye disease or injury.
modifications
- For tight lower body: Sit on a cushion or block. You can also try this seated in a chair.
- For tight shoulders: Use a strap to separate hands and allow arms to raise.
- For more relaxed version: Leave arms resting on back, fingers interlaced.
- Deeper version: Raise hips off heels and rest on crown.
attitude
- devotional, peaceful retreat from the world
Conclusion
Yoga mudra is an all-around fabulous pose and can be done by almost everyone by using one of the modifications mentioned above.
It’s one of the most devotional poses that allows the mind and body to surrender into gravity and into the Self.
Because of its deep stimulation of the internal organs, it’s highly recommended for maintaining the health of the whole body.
Be sure to savor each step into and out of the pose!
What you can do next
- Please feel free to share in the comments below…we’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections on this article!
- SUBSCRIBE to Rupali’s YouTube channel for beautiful relaxing meditation music. It’s FREE!
- Because this website is a free offering to the yoga community, we welcome donations! Buy us a ‘booch here!
- Grab your free tip sheet below…
New to teaching? Check out Rupali’s Transform Your Yoga Teaching: The 5 Essential Elements of Teaching an Awesome Yoga Class for an easy-to-follow system of constructing your classes that will deliver a rich experience for both you and your students EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Leave a Reply