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

Linga Mudra — the gesture of the upright thumb

Hand Mudras 14

लिङ्ग मुद्रा

Meaning · English

Linga mudra, the gesture of the upright thumb: linga, a mark or sign, here the upright form; mudra, a seal or gesture made with the body, here with the hands. In English it is called the upright thumb gesture, the clasped-hands thumb mudra.

Take the name first. Linga means a mark, a sign, something that points to a thing. Here it names the one raised form in the clasp, the upright thumb. Mudra means a seal or a closing gesture. So the name says: the seal of the upright thumb. The old 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 place where the fingers are placed. Linga mudra is modern postural yoga, codified in the twentieth century in the Mysore line of Krishnamacharya and the schools that grew from it. The finger positions, the name and the claims are all later teaching. The lesson itself is simple. You sit tall in a steady seat, with the hands resting open on the knees for a breath. Then the fingers of both hands interlace in front of the chest. The left thumb stands straight up. The right thumb and index finger wrap around its base. The touch is soft, never a grip. The shoulders stay down and the breath slow. Teachers say the gesture builds heat, and so they hold it only for a few minutes, in the cold. The sit lasts a few minutes with the eyes closed, or a whole sitting. If the hand tires, it is released and begun again. The frame for all of this is in the Yoga Sutras: a seat steady and easy, effort loosened, the mind resting on the infinite. The gesture is only a help to sitting still.

1. Sit tall in any steady seat: cross-legged on the floor, on a folded blanket, or on a chair with both feet down. Lengthen the spine and let the crown of the head rise. 2. Rest both hands open on the knees, palms up or down as feels easy. Take one full breath here. 3. Breathe out and bring the hands in front of the chest. Interlace the fingers of both hands. 4. Point the left thumb straight up. 5. Wrap the right thumb and the right index finger around the base of the left thumb. The other fingers stay interlaced. 6. Hold it lightly. The touch of the fingers is soft, never a grip. Keep the shoulders down and the elbows loose and a little wide. The breath is slow and quiet through the nose. 7. Close the eyes. Stay a few minutes, or through a whole sit. Teachers hold it only for a few minutes, and in the cold, because they say it builds heat. 8. If the hand tires, release it and begin again from step 3. 9. To come out, open the hand, unlace the fingers, and let both hands rest on the knees. Sit for a few breaths and notice the warmth or the stillness. Fine points: the hand is held at chest height, with no reaching forward. The upright thumb is only a little pressed at its base, with no squeezing. If the forearms tire, lower the clasp a little toward the belly. The lesson does not name a second side. Some teachers swap the thumbs on a later round, which is their own habit.

In the body, the work is small. The fingers are interlaced and two of them lightly encircle a thumb. The muscles of the hands and forearms hold gently, and the shoulders, neck and face are asked to let go. Because the clasp sits in front of the chest, the upper arms hang from the shoulder with a little effort, and a held hand gets tired. This is why the lesson says to release and begin again. The breath is slow because a tight grip and a quick breath tend to travel together. Softening the hand is a way of softening the breath. The mind has something simple to rest on: the touch of the thumb, the weight of the hands, the breath at the chest. Attention returns to a small, definite place. That is a help to sitting still, and it is the whole of what the sitting needs. The tradition's own account is different. Teachers of the gesture say it builds heat in the body. This is a later teaching, not found in the hatha manuals, and it is given in the language of inner fire, not of muscles or blood. It is the tradition's claim and is not offered here as physiology.

Nothing is claimed for this gesture by the Pradipika, the Gheranda or the Shiva Samhita, since they do not describe it. What is said comes from modern teachers of postural yoga. They say it builds heat in the body, which is why they hold it only for a few minutes and in the cold. They also say it helps the sitter keep still, by giving the hands a quiet task and the attention a place to rest. That is the only promise the lesson makes: it is a help to sitting still, and nothing more is promised. These are the teachers' claims. They are not statements of fact about the body.

A woman waits for a late bus on a January evening, hands tucked in her sleeves, and presses them together to get some warmth into them. That small, ordinary act is the nearest everyday cousin of this gesture. Today's mainstream understanding agrees with a little of it. Clasped hands held close to the body lose less warmth to the air, and a slow breath with the shoulders down usually settles the body. A defined point of touch also gives wandering attention somewhere to land, which good teachers and psychologists both recognise as a way to practise steadiness. There is no good evidence that the finger position itself raises the body's temperature or changes metabolism. The idea of heat built within is the tradition's account, close to the old notion of inner fire, and it has no direct modern match. Any warmth felt is more likely from the body being still and the hands being covered. Gripping hard is more likely to cause strain than benefit.

This is general information, not medical advice. A teacher corrects what a page cannot, and the gesture is best learnt with one. Stop if anything hurts or tingles. Take particular care with the hands, wrists, shoulders and neck. Anyone with pain, numbness or a past injury in these places can hold the clasp lower and for a shorter time, or rest the hands on the thighs and only imagine the shape. If you feel overheated, dizzy or restless, release the gesture and breathe normally. People who are pregnant, or who have heart or blood pressure concerns, should ask a qualified teacher or their doctor before holding it. The old teaching of building heat should never be pushed: sitting until you are sweating or uncomfortable is not the aim. Never grip to feel more.

Gentler: sit on a chair, or lean the back against a wall. Hold the clasp lower, near the belly, with the elbows resting on a folded blanket or cushions. Shorten the hold to a minute and repeat. If the thumb wrap is awkward, leave out the wrap and just stand the thumb upright in the loose clasp. Fuller: with practice the hold lasts a few minutes, then a whole sit, with the eyes closed and the breath quiet. Some teachers swap which thumb stands on a later round, so the hands share the work evenly. Keep the touch light however long you stay.

Gripping the thumb hard: loosen until the touch is only a touch. Raising the shoulders: let them drop with each breath out. Holding the clasp too far from the chest, which tires the arms: bring it back and lower it. Holding the breath or breathing fast: return to a slow breath through the nose. Staying on after the hand is tired: release it and begin again. Treating the heat claim as a reason to push through discomfort: hold it only for a few minutes, and in the cold.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Hridaya Mudra — the gesture of the heart · Hand Mudras 13
• Next: Shankha Mudra — the gesture of the conch · Hand Mudras 15
• All of Yoga in Practice · Ask Krishna about it

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