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

Surya Mudra — the gesture of the sun

Hand Mudras 6

सूर्य मुद्रा

Meaning · English

Surya mudra, the gesture of the sun: surya is the sun, and mudra is a seal or gesture, here a particular placing of the fingers. In English it is called the sun gesture, or the sun seal. It is a hand position held while sitting.

Take the name apart first. Surya is the sun. Mudra is a seal, a sign, a gesture. Together they name a hand held in a set shape and called after the sun, the body's image of warmth and light. The old hatha manuals do not describe this finger position. Gheranda's mudras are of the whole body, with yoni mudra the one exception, and the Pradipika and the Shiva Samhita do not teach it either. It is modern postural yoga, codified in the twentieth century in the Mysore line of Krishnamacharya and the schools that grew from it. The name and the claims come from later teaching, and they are named here as that. The plain sense: sit steadily, fold the ring finger down to the base of the thumb, press the thumb gently over it, and keep the other fingers straight. Teachers say this kindles the fire element, one of the five elements in the tradition's account of the body, and that it is held when the body feels cold or heavy. Why teach it at all? The old frame for any sitting practice is Yoga Sutras 2.46 to 48: a seat steady and easy, the loosening of effort, the mind resting on the infinite. A small, quiet task for the hands gives a restless mind something to stay with. It asks for lightness, never a grip, and nothing more is promised than help in sitting still.

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 hands rest open on the knees for a breath. Close the eyes now or after the next step. 2. On both hands, fold the ring finger down until its tip reaches the base of the thumb. 3. Bring the thumb gently over the folded ring finger and press it lightly. The index, middle and little fingers stay straight, not stiff, resting along the line of the knee. 4. Hold it lightly. The touch is soft, never a grip. Keep the shoulders down, the jaw loose and the breath slow and even through the nose. 5. Teachers call the gesture one of warmth, said to kindle the fire element, and hold it when the body feels cold or heavy. There is nothing to count or visualise. The task is to keep the touch soft and the breath slow. 6. Stay for a few minutes with the eyes closed, or through a whole sit. If the hand tires, release it, shake it out and begin again. 7. To come out, open the hands, let the fingers lengthen, and let both hands rest on the knees. Take a few ordinary breaths before opening the eyes. Fine points: the wrists rest on the knees so the arms hang without effort, with the palms facing up or down, whichever lets the shoulders drop. The thumb presses only enough to feel the ring finger beneath it. If the forearm tightens, the pressure is too much. Both hands take the shape together, and there is no first side or second side.

In the body, this is a small act. The thumb and ring finger hold a light contact, the small muscles of the hand work a little, and the rest of the arm is meant to be quiet. The real work is keeping the pressure low while the spine stays tall. That teaches the body to hold one small thing without bracing the neck, shoulders or jaw. The breath is slow because a slow, even breath goes with a quiet hand. No special breath is prescribed for this gesture. Gripping and fast breathing tend to arrive together, and so do softness and slow breathing. In the mind, the touch of thumb on finger is a fixed point to return to. Attention drifts, notices the drift, and comes back to the contact. This is the same loosening of effort the Yoga Sutras ask of a seat. The tradition's own account is different. It says the ring finger belongs to the earth element, the thumb to fire, and that joining them changes the balance of the elements in the body. This is the tradition's account, drawn from later teaching, and not physiology.

The teachers of the modern schools say this gesture kindles the fire element, brings warmth, and eases a sense of cold or heaviness in the body. Some say it is useful when the body feels sluggish and a sit is hard to begin. These are the teachers' claims, handed down in later teaching, and the old hatha manuals say nothing of them. What can be said plainly is smaller. The gesture gives the hands a quiet task and the mind a place to rest. Many people find it easier to sit still for a few minutes when the hands are occupied, and the soft touch is a reminder to keep the shoulders and breath relaxed. Nothing more is promised than help in sitting still.

A woman sits in a chilly prayer room before dawn in January, her hands cold in her lap, and folds her fingers into the sun gesture because her teacher said it brings warmth. She feels warmer after ten minutes. What explains it? There is no good evidence that a finger position changes body temperature, metabolism or digestion. Sitting still, breathing slowly, wearing a shawl and simply having the hands held together can each make a person feel more settled and, over a few minutes, more comfortable. A small, repeatable task for the hands is also a sound way to hold attention, and that part agrees with ordinary experience of meditation. The tradition's fire element has a loose cousin in what the old texts call agni, roughly appetite and digestion, but the link between this gesture and agni is later teaching, not something the old texts or today's medicine support. Cold hands can have many causes, and a persistent problem belongs with a doctor, not a gesture.

This is not medical advice. A page cannot see your hand, and a teacher can correct what it cannot, so it is best learnt with a teacher. Nothing needs more care than ease. The touch is light, and if the fingers ache, the wrist strains or the hand goes numb or tingles, release the gesture and stop. People with arthritis, an injured finger or thumb, carpal tunnel trouble or recent hand surgery can rest the hands open on the knees and skip the fold, or touch so lightly that it is hardly a pressing. Anyone who feels unwell or faint should stop and breathe normally. Sitting itself needs care too: if the knees or back complain, use a chair or raised cushion. Never force the finger down to reach the thumb's base.

Gentler: if the ring finger will not fold easily, let it bend only as far as it goes and rest the thumb against it. Or leave the fingers open on the knees and attend only to the breath. A chair, or a folded blanket under the hips, makes the seat easier. Fuller: with practice, hold the gesture through a whole sit while the shoulders and jaw stay soft. Palms up or palms down are both used by teachers. Try each and keep the one that lets the shoulders drop. The gesture is the same on both hands.

Gripping, with the thumb pushing hard, tightens the forearm: press only enough to feel contact. Straightening the other fingers rigidly makes the hand tense: let them lie long but loose. Raised shoulders or a clenched jaw defeat the purpose: drop them each time the mind returns. Holding the breath to concentrate: let it run slow and even. Expecting a result and checking for warmth keeps the mind busy: treat the gesture as a help to sitting, nothing more. Forcing on when the hand tires: release, shake it out and begin again.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Shuni Mudra — the gesture of patience · Hand Mudras 5
• Next: Prana Mudra — the gesture of the life breath · Hand Mudras 7
• All of Yoga in Practice · Ask Krishna about it

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