What is a Mudra?

A mudra is a gesture used in various Hindu and Buddhist traditions to symbolically represent or activate a specific energy. Mudras with the hands, known as hasta mudras, are the most common and well-known of these gestures. While some mudras are used in ritual, others are used to enhance our yogic practice. The Bandhas, for example, are mudras. The literal meaning of the word mudra is “mark” or “gesture”.

Anjali Mudra

Anjali Mudra is one of the most common mudras practiced today. It’s usage extends far beyond the world of yoga. It is a common symbol of greeting and gratitude across Asia. Its usage in this manner has even begun to extend to the west! You can sometimes see celebrities or other prominent westerners using this gesture as a symbol of greeting or thanks. Hollywood-er’s such as Johnny Depp are frequently seen using the sign.

The word Anjali translates to “offering”, and the root “Anj” is a word that means “to anoint” or “to honor”. It’s often used together with the greeting Namaste to show respect and humility to the person you are addressing. Since it is used so commonly as a greeting, it is also called Namaskara Mudra, or greeting mudra.

Chances are, if you’ve been to a yoga class, you’ve practiced this greeting.

“Prayer Pose”

Anjali mudra looks very similar to the traditional position of prayer practiced in Christianity, with the palms of the hands pressed together. Rest assured, it doesn’t have the same religious connotations in Eastern tradition, and is suitable to practice even for those who don’t believe in any kind of god or specific dogma.

Still, it’s interesting to reflect on the similarities of these two poses throughout these two distinct cultures. In both, they are a sign of respect and humility. Perhaps the reason for this is because when your hands are together, they are metaphorically bound, making them peaceful and non-threatening. In Christianity, some historians trace this position back to the Roman era, where soldiers used vine or rope to bind prisoners’ hands. Thus, it is sometimes interpreted as a pose of submission.

In the Zen tradition, it is called Gassho, A union of opposites, there is no more left and right, but just oneness.

The Dali Lama in Anjali Mudra, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Metaphysics

There are many different metaphysical aspects to this position, many of which rely on traditional vedic understandings of energy. For example, the joining of the hands can be interrupted as the joining of the two sides of the body. Many nadis, which are the pathways that carry prana/energy through the body in Hindu philosophy, terminate in the hands. Similar to the feet in reflexology, this means that your hands are full of different points and energy pathways that lead to other parts of the body. When you bring the hands together, you are joining all of these energetic pathways. You are also balancing the pingala and ida nadis, which are represented by the two sides of the body.

How to Practice

Anjali mudra is traditionally practiced with the hands at the heart, but it can also be practiced with the hands at the third eye, behind the back, or even above the head. Here is a short, meditative practice you can try to connect to the energy of Anjali Mudra.

• • Start by bringing your hands together to your heart.
  • Your fingers should be straight, but it is okay if there is space between them.
  • Breathe into your heart’s center, and see if you can send the energy from the breath all the way from your chest down through your arms and into your palms.
  • Move your hands first towards one side of your body, and then the other. Can you feel a difference in the energy as you shift from one side to the other?
  • Bringing your hands back to center, shift them up to your third eye. This can be used as a posture of humility, devotion, and gratitude. Do you feel a difference in your energy here? Perhaps you will feel your energy is more open at your heart’s center, and more focused when at your third eye.
  • Finally, bring your hands together above your head. Connecting with your crown chakra, this posture emphasizes the connection between you and the spiritual energy of the universe. Close your eyes here, and see if you can sense where your palms are touching above your head. Your fingers here will point upwards. Imagine a light or energy from the base of your spine that runs all the way through the tips of your extended fingers, offering a connection between your own energy, and the energy of the universe.

The Importance of Foundations

Gestures like Anjali mudra are used so often, that people have a tendency to practice them without reflecting on their meaning. Returning to foundations such as these are an important way to bring respect, joy, and Bhakti (devotion) back into your practice.

Give Thanks

More questions on Mudras? Feeling the connection from your Anjali Mudra practice?

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You can also plan a visit to us here at the Doron Yoga & Zen Center! Find a full list of retreats led by Doron here. More information about our Yoga-Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher Training programs can be found here, and you can also consider booking a personal retreat with us at any time!

Blissful Living, 

Doron