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Published January 21,2026 09:25AM
Yoga Journal’s archives series is a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. This article first appeared in the December 2002 issue of Yoga Journal.
Throughout India,you’ll find statues of Lord shiva,arch-yogi of the Hindu gods. most often, he’s shown in the guise of Nataraja, king of the dancers, balanced on one foot and gesturing with all four hands. From region to region, the deity’s features may change-after all, no one knows the true face of god-but his hand gestures never vary. In Indian art, these hand gestures, called mudras, are the true signatures of the gods and saints. And the use of these gestures,along with many others,are a powerful but frequently enough-neglected part of customary yoga practise.
In India, as in many cultures including our own, hand gestures are a vital component of religious activity. As you regard a statue of the dancing Shiva, the tranquil beauty of a meditating Buddha, or any of the innumerable Hindu deities and Buddhist bodhisattvas, notice that each figure holds a stylized hand gesture.
These gestures not only lend gracious expression to India’s iconic art, they also tell stories and represent specific spiritual attributes. Famous Indian art historian Ananda Coomara-swamy called mudras “an established and conventional language in India.” Though quite a bit easier to learn than Sanskrit, the language of mudra also traces back at least to Vedic times.
Though nobody really knows how long ago hand gestures began to signify both religious and secular ideas, many expressive gestures used today-asking for calm and silence by raising a palm or emphasizing a point by lifting an index finger-echo ancient ceremonial traditions. In yoga, mudra evolved into a complex symbolic language that serves two purposes: transmitting esoteric concepts and, literally, embodying spiritual ideals. Probably the most common yoga mudras are those used in meditation poses.
These include the Nana Mudra (Wisdom Gesture; also known as Chin Awareness) that symbolizes the union of individual self with God, and the Vishnu Mudra (see below) used in Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana).But there are many others-108, according to some yogic lore. Some of these mudras are incorporated into asana practice.
For exmaple, when you join your palms over your head in Sun Salutation (Suryanamaskar), your hands are in the yogic gesture known as Anjali Mudra, used to invoke and greet the gods. When you bring your palms down in front of your face, you are in the proper mudra for greeting your elders. And when you lower your palms to your chest in Namaste,you are in position to “salute the Divine” in your peers.
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- symbolic Hand Gestures Span Historyseldom lies.”The late John napier,M.D., an authority on the evolutionary history of manual dexterity, made a similar observation: “if language was given to men to conceal their thoughts, then gesture’s purpose was to disclose them.”
Most of us are keenly sensitive to the very subtle connotations conveyed by the slightest turn of a shoulder or a dismissive flick of the wrist. Flirting,joking,bargaining-indeed,practically every kind of social interaction-require reading nonverbal cues. Like simple “body language,” hand gestures reveal aspects of the inner life that lend nuance to speech. Brain-imaging studies show that hand gestures precede speech in what neurologists call “deep time”-which is just an evocative way of describing the moment before you become conscious of your own thoughts. In othre words, the impulses for gestures form in your brain before those for words do.
The hands express what neurologists call the “imagistic” process of thought. During that moment of deep time before your thoughts turn into words, your ideas emerge as concrete images and feelings. For example, when you’re trying to convey a tough abstract idea, you might hold your hands in front of you as if you are shaping a container for the thought. The more abstract the thought, the more intensely you’ll use your hands to “get hold of it,” as if an idea had substance that could be grasped. Our hands help make abstract concepts concrete so we can process them more easily, says Wilcox. Words represent ideas; gestures embody them.
in Wilcox’s view, gestures are thinking in action. One of the foremost researchers in gesture, linguist david McNeill, echoes this perspective when he refers to gestures as a form of thought-not just an expression of thought, but “cognitive being” itself. This embodiment is especially vital when we try to communicate ineffable spiritual ideals that can’t be fully understood until we’ve experienced them.For a spiritual concept to have deep transformative power, it must become tangible and grounded in the body.
The late Swami Sivananda Radha, the first Western woman initiated into Swami Sivananda’s monastic order, described the transformational power of asana by saying that when “an asana is perfected through practice, at a certain point it becomes spiritual-a mudra.” In other words, in its ideal form each asana places the body in a configuration that helps to induce and reinforce a specific state of higher consciousness. And indeed, though in modern usage “mudra” generally refers to hand gestures, it can also refer to practices ranging from specific asanas to the energy locks more often called bandhas.
In each case, the mudra acts as a container that holds and stamps a specific energetic state into the body.Etymologically,”mudra” derives from Sanskrit roots that mean “to give joy,” but most yoga authorities say the term originally derives from an Assyrian word for an imprint used in writing. This became the Sanskrit word for the stamp or seal that Indian kings used to authenticate royal decrees. By extension,”mudra” signifies a spiritual seal that expresses and “authenticates” a yogi’s internal state.
Swami Sivananda Radha’s description of the transformative power of gesture finds an interesting extension in a recent revelation by a group of neuroscientists working in Italy. They found that observing a gesture could stimulate the same patterns of neural firing as when actually performing it. They called this phenomenon “mirror neurons.” Wilcox speculates that mudras just might work likewise. Once a spiritual state is associated with a gesture through practice,just looking at the gesture-depicted in an icon or performed by someone else-could trigger your mirror neurons to recreate the spiritual state.
the Evolution of Mudras - Yoga Mudras and the Gunas
Despite the importance as a universal element of human communication, nobody really knows how hand gestures evolved into a form of yoga. Scholars speculate that mudras may have developed from one of three sources: shamanic dance, the ancient mim
Yoga Mudras and the Gunas
Yoga mudras, hand gestures used in yoga practice, are believed to influence the flow of subtle energy within the body and can possibly impact mental and emotional states by affecting the three gunas – sattva (purity), rajas (activity), and tamas (dullness).
Understanding the Gunas
The gunas are basic qualities of nature (prakriti) in Samkhya philosophy, a school of Hindu thought, and are present in all things, including the human mind and body. Britannica defines them as the building blocks of all physical and mental events.
- Sattva: Represents purity, clarity, harmony, and balance. It is indeed associated with lightness, intelligence, and joy.
- rajas: Embodies activity, passion, energy, and movement. It drives ambition and change but can also lead to restlessness and suffering.
- Tamas: Signifies dullness, inertia, darkness, and resistance. It is linked to heaviness, ignorance, and stagnation.
According to Ayurvedic principles, maintaining equilibrium among the gunas is crucial for optimal health and well-being. Research published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information suggests that imbalances in the gunas can contribute to various physical and psychological disorders.
How Mudras are Believed to Work
Yoga mudras are thought to work by stimulating specific energy pathways (nadis) and energy centers (chakras) within the subtle body.By touching certain fingers and thumbs, practitioners aim to redirect and balance the flow of prana (life force). this stimulation is believed to influence the gunas, promoting a state of equilibrium.
while scientific evidence supporting these claims is limited,anecdotal reports and traditional texts suggest that specific mudras can have distinct effects. For example, Jnana Mudra (thumb and index finger touching) is often associated with increased focus and clarity (sattva), while Surya Mudra (thumb and ring finger touching) is believed to energize and stimulate (rajas). Yoga Journal provides a detailed overview of various mudras and their purported benefits.
Mudras and Spiritual Change
beyond physical and energetic benefits, yoga mudras are considered tools for spiritual growth. The practice encourages mindful awareness of the hands and their expressive potential, fostering a deeper connection between the mind, body, and spirit.
The idea that every gesture can be interpreted as a message from the subconscious, revealing truths the conscious ego may not recognize, is a central tenet of mudra practice. This concept aligns with Jungian psychology’s emphasis on the symbolic language of the unconscious. As practitioners become more attuned to the subtle nuances of hand gestures, they may begin to integrate mudras into everyday actions, transforming them into “living prayers,” as the source text suggests.
As of January 21, 2026, there are no major breaking developments regarding the scientific validation or widespread adoption of yoga mudras beyond existing traditional practices and anecdotal evidence. Ongoing research continues to explore the potential physiological and psychological effects of these gestures.
