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

Varuna Mudra — the gesture of water

Hand Mudras 12

वरुण मुद्रा

Meaning · English

Varuna mudra: Varuna, the lord of the waters, and mudra, a seal or gesture made with the body. The common English name is the gesture of water: the tip of the little finger touching the tip of the thumb.

Take the name apart. Varuna is the old Indian lord of the waters, and in later teaching he stands for the water element. Mudra means a seal or a gesture, a shape of the body held on purpose. So the name says: the seal that belongs to water. The little finger is the one that teachers pair with water, and that pairing is the whole idea of the practice. The hatha manuals do not describe this gesture. The Pradipika, the Gheranda and the Shiva Samhita teach mudras of the whole body, and yoni mudra is the one exception that uses the hands. Varuna mudra is modern postural yoga, codified in the twentieth century in the Mysore line of Krishnamacharya and the schools that grew from it. The names and the claims are later teaching, and nothing in the old books stands behind them. Its frame in the old texts is Yoga Sutras 2.46 to 2.48: a seat steady and easy, the loosening of effort, and the mind resting on the infinite. Why is it taught? Because a small, quiet task for the hands gives a restless sitter something to do, and so helps the body stay still. It asks very little: an upright seat, a light touch, a slow breath, and patience.

1. Sit tall in any steady seat: cross-legged on the floor, on a cushion, or on a chair with the feet flat. Let the spine lengthen without stiffness. 2. Let both hands rest open on the knees for a breath, palms up, and breathe naturally. 3. Bring the tip of the little finger to the tip of the thumb, on each hand. The ring, middle and index fingers stay straight, not stiff, simply extended. 4. Hold the touch lightly. It is a soft contact, never a grip. Keep the shoulders down, the elbows loose, and the breath slow and even through the nose. 5. Remember that teachers connect the little finger with the water element and hold this gesture when the body feels dry. This is later teaching, offered as a help. 6. Close the eyes and stay for a few minutes, 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 rest them on the knees. Take a few ordinary breaths before opening the eyes. Fine points: the wrists rest on or near the knees, so the arms hang without effort. The pressure between thumb and finger is just enough to feel the contact and no more. Both hands do the same thing, so there is no side to begin with. Do not force the other fingers straight; let them be relaxed and open.

The mechanics are simple. Touching the tip of the little finger to the thumb uses small muscles of the hand and a bit of the forearm. If they grip, the tension climbs into the shoulder and jaw, so the practice is to use almost no force. The upright seat lets the ribs move freely, which is why the breath can be slow. The mind has something small and definite to feel: the point where two fingertips meet. Attention tends to settle on a point like that, and the habit of noticing when it drifts is the real exercise. The hand also has many nerve endings in the fingertips, so even a light touch is easy to feel. The tradition's own account, from later teachers and not from the hatha manuals, is that each finger is linked to an element, and that the little finger joined to the thumb brings the water element into balance in the body. That is the teaching's explanation, not physiology.

The schools that teach this mudra say it helps when the body feels dry, and that it supports the water element. Some teachers say it brings a calm and cool steadiness to a sit. These are the teachers' claims from later practice, not statements of the Pradipika or any old hatha text, which are silent on it. What can be said plainly is the modest one the lesson itself gives: it is a help to sitting still, and nothing more is promised.

Picture a grandmother in a waiting room, hands restless in her lap, who is shown a quiet way to hold her fingers while she breathes. What is well understood is this: a simple, repeated, low-effort task for the hands can give the attention somewhere to rest, and slow breathing with a relaxed body tends to settle the feeling of being wound up. That is general knowledge about relaxation and attention, and it fits the practice. What has no support is the claim that a finger position changes the water balance of the body, relieves dryness, or alters an element. Today's medicine knows nothing of fingers tied to elements, and a dry body is a matter of drinking, diet, climate and health, to be raised with a doctor. The old idea of the five elements has no modern match. Taken as a gentle focus for sitting, the mudra is harmless and reasonable.

This is not medical advice, and a teacher can correct what a page cannot. Stop if anything hurts. The pose asks for very little, but a few cautions apply. If the fingers, wrist or thumb joint are painful, as in arthritis or after an injury, hold the touch even more lightly or rest the hands open. If the knees or hips complain in a floor seat, sit on a chair or cushion. Numbness or tingling in the hand means the grip is too tight or the arm is hanging badly; release at once. Anyone with a health concern, including pregnancy, should check with their own doctor before relying on any claim made for the gesture. Never press harder for a stronger effect.

A beginner may sit on a chair with the feet flat and the hands on the thighs. A folded blanket under the hips makes a floor seat easier. If the little finger cannot reach the thumb comfortably, bring them near each other and let them almost touch. For rest, release the gesture and lay the hands open. Teachers sometimes use it with a few counted slow breaths, which is modern teaching and not from the old texts. Both hands are used, so there is no mirrored side.

Gripping the fingers tightly: the touch is soft, so ease the pressure until it is barely there. Straining the other three fingers stiff: let them extend loosely. Raising the shoulders: drop them and let the elbows hang. Holding the breath while concentrating: keep it slow and unforced through the nose. Slumping the spine: sit tall on a cushion. Pushing on through a tired, aching hand: release it and begin again.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Prithvi Mudra — the gesture of earth · Hand Mudras 11
• Next: Hridaya Mudra — the gesture of the heart · Hand Mudras 13
• All of Yoga in Practice · Ask Krishna about it

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