The verse and its meaning · Yoga in Practice · Yoga in Practice — Hand Mudras

Anjali Mudra — the gesture of offering

Hand Mudras 4

अञ्जलि मुद्रा

Meaning · English

Anjali Mudra: añjali, the two hands cupped or joined as in offering or greeting, and mudra, a seal or gesture. The gesture of offering, known in English as the prayer pose or the namaste hands.

Take the name apart. Añjali is the joining of the two hands, the shape a person makes to offer something or to receive it. Mudra is a seal or gesture: a shape of the body that carries a meaning. Together they name the hands pressed palm to palm, held as an offering. The old hatha manuals do not describe this finger position. The Pradipika, the Gheranda and the Shiva Samhita teach mudras of the whole body, and yoni mudra is the one hand exception. Anjali Mudra belongs to modern postural yoga, codified in the twentieth century in the Mysore line of Krishnamacharya and the schools that grew from it. The gesture itself is far older in daily life, as the namaste of greeting and of prayer. The old frame for it is Yoga Sutras 2.46 to 2.48: a seat that is steady and easy, effort that loosens, and the mind resting on the infinite. The hands are a small way into that. They give the sitter something to do while sitting still. Teachers say the gesture brings the two sides of the body together at the heart. That is their teaching and a way of speaking. It asks of the practitioner a steady seat, a light touch and a slow breath.

1. Sit tall in any steady seat: cross-legged, on a folded blanket, or on a chair with both feet on the floor. Let the spine lengthen without stiffening. 2. Let the hands rest open on the knees for one breath. Notice the breathing and the weight of the shoulders. 3. Bring the palms together in front of the chest. The fingers point up. The thumbs rest lightly against the breastbone. 4. Hold it lightly. The fingers touch softly and never grip. The shoulders stay down and the breath stays slow and even through the nose. 5. This is the namaste of greeting and of prayer, held at the start and the end of a practice. 6. Stay for a few minutes with the eyes closed, or through a whole sit. If the hand tires, release it and begin again. 7. To come out, open the hands and let them rest on the knees or in the lap. Fine points: the whole palm meets the other palm, but a little air in the hollow of each is fine. The elbows hang slightly away from the ribs, and the forearms stay roughly level. The wrists stay straight, neither bent up nor down. Press only enough to feel the two hands meet.

The body: the arms are held up and in front of the chest, so the muscles of the shoulders, upper arms and forearms do light, steady work. If the shoulders creep up, the neck tightens as well. That is why the lesson says the shoulders stay down. Pressing the palms together engages the chest muscles a little. A soft touch lets the work stay small, and the spine can stay tall without strain. The breath: nothing is counted or held. The slow breath keeps the ribs and belly moving freely. A tight grip in the hands tends to bring a tight breath with it, and a soft touch lets the breath stay easy. The mind: the shape gives attention a fixed, nearby place to rest. The touch of the palms and the thumbs against the breastbone are steady sensations on the body's midline. When the mind wanders, it can return to them. The tradition's account is that the gesture joins the two sides at the heart. Teachers speak of it as a bringing together of the right and the left, and it is taught as such. It is not an anatomical description.

The old hatha manuals make no claim for this gesture, because they do not describe it. What follows is what the schools that teach it say. Teachers say it marks a beginning and an end: a way to arrive in the sitting and to close it with respect. They say it brings the two sides together at the heart, and that it steadies the attention and settles the sitter into quiet. In many traditions it also carries greeting, thanks and reverence for a teacher. The lesson itself promises no more than this: take it as a help to sitting still.

A grandmother stands at the gate of her house in a village and greets a visitor with folded hands. She does not think about it, and the gesture still tells both people that the meeting has begun. Today's mainstream understanding sees something similar in practice. A fixed, repeated gesture at the start of a sit can work as a cue. The body learns that it is time to settle, and attention has a simple place to return to. Slow, easy breathing is generally understood to help people feel calmer, and a relaxed hand is more comfortable than a clenched one. The sensation of the palms meeting gives the mind something steady to follow. There is no good evidence for the claim that the gesture joins the two sides of the body or brain. That belongs to the tradition's way of speaking, a symbol and not a physiological event. The gesture is also not described in the old hatha texts, so its claims are from later teaching. It is best taken as a gentle aid to quiet, with nothing more promised for it.

This is not medical advice, and a page cannot correct a body the way a teacher can. Stop if there is pain, numbness or tingling in the hands, wrists, elbows or shoulders. People with sore shoulders, wrist or elbow problems, or nerve trouble in the arms should keep the hands lower, close to the lap, or rest the elbows on a cushion or a table. Anyone with a recent injury or surgery in the arm, shoulder or neck should ask a teacher or doctor first. If sitting on the floor strains the knees or back, use a chair or a raised seat. Never force the palms together or the shoulders down. The gesture is meant to be easy, and tension means the hands should rest.

A gentler form: rest the joined hands low, at the belly or in the lap, or rest the elbows on a bolster or a table. Sit in a chair if the floor is uncomfortable. A simpler version for tired hands: let the palms touch for a few breaths, rest them open on the knees, then join them again. A fuller form: hold the gesture through a whole sitting, with the thumbs against the breastbone and the eyes closed. Some teachers also take the joined hands to the forehead as a bow at the end of a practice. This is taught only as a gesture of respect.

Gripping the palms hard: ease the pressure until the hands only meet, with no squeezing. Lifting the shoulders: let them drop away from the ears before joining the hands. Pushing the elbows up or tucking them tight: let them hang slightly out from the ribs. Bending the wrists: keep the forearms and hands in one line. Holding the breath because the hands are busy: let the breath run slow and even, and release the hand if it will not. Staying on through real fatigue: open the hand, rest, and begin again.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Dhyana Mudra — the gesture of meditation · Hand Mudras 3
• Next: Shuni Mudra — the gesture of patience · Hand Mudras 5
• All of Yoga in Practice · Ask Krishna about it

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