**Brahma Mudra, used to awaken energy and vitality**

In the West, yoga asanas are seen as the foundation of yoga, but yoga is a vast system that includes various tools, techniques, and philosophies that lead to holistic healing. Mudras, or conscious hand gestures, can promote physical health, psychological balance, and even aid in and support spiritual awakening. In this blog you’ll learn the meaning of mudras, how they work and their benefits, and specific mudras that can be used for holistic healing.

What are Mudras?

In Ancient Indian spirituality, the great sages explored states of deep spiritual union through mediation. Mudras arose naturally as an expression of these meditative states. The journey towards unity encompasses a wide range of spiritual qualities, such as discrement, limitlessness, wholeness and compassion. Mudras are vehicles to awaken these individual qualities, leading us toward a global vision of unity. As the world of holistic health continues to expand, many healthcare providers are seeing the use of these ancient gestures as a source for healing various ailments, including nervous system regulation, and other imbalances.

Modern Science on Mudras

According to ancient Ayurvedic and yogic traditions, our fingers are much more than simple digits—they are symbols of the elements that make up the universe.

Each finger is understood as a conduit of vital energy, continuously emitting subtle electromagnetic currents. When we join the fingers together in specific mudras, we create intentional energy circuits. In essence, the science behind mudras lies in their ability to manipulate these subtle energy currents, guiding prana (life force) through the body’s nadis (energy channels) and chakras (energy centers).

The effects of mudra practice extend to both mind and body. On a physical level, mudras can help regulate the nervous system, support digestion, improve circulation, and restore energetic balance. On a mental and emotional level, they encourage calmness, sharpen focus, and release emotional blockages. Many practitioners also find that mudras deepen meditation by quieting the mind and heightening awareness.

Through mudra practice, we are quite literally tuning the body to the rhythms of nature and balancing our inner and outer worlds one gesture at a time.

How to Practice Mudras for Healing

The beauty of mudras is that you can practice then anywhere and anytime you need to increase energy, calm your nervous system, or even to help you sleep. Although there are common guidelines for how to use mudras, everyone has a unique experience in their own bodies, and as such, people will have various reactions to mudras.

5 Mudras for Healing Tension and Regulating the Nervous System

1. Kanishtha Sharira Mudra (Gesture of the lower body)

This mudra directs breath to the lower body, enhancing awareness of the pelvis, abdomen, and solar plexus. The hands are placed just below the rib cage which increases awareness of the diaphragm, the main muscle used in breathing, which helps increases breath capacity in the lungs. Use this mudra if you want to optimize digestion, release tension from the low back, build confidence, or connect more deeply to the lower body.

Chakras balanced: Root chakra (Muladhara), sacral plexus (Svadisthana), solar plexus (Manipura)
Body systems balanced: digestive, eliminatory, lymphatic

2. Madhyama Sharira mudra (Gesture of the middle body)

This mudra directs breath awareness and energy to the chest, side ribs, and middle back. The placement of the thumbs under the armpits, paired with the rising and falling of the ribcage, gentle massages the lymph nodes, supporting the health of the lymphatic system. This mudra can also release tension around the heart. As the tension releases, anything held in this area of the body comes to the surface to be experienced, processed, and released. Use this mudra to help increase breath capacity in the middle body, relieve muscle tension from the middle back, and support immune system function.

Chakras balanced: Heart chakra (Anahata)
Body systems balanced: immune, respiratory, cardiovascular

3. Jyestha Sharira Mudra (Gesture of the upper body)

This mudra directs breath awareness and energy into the uppermost areas of the chest and collarbones, especially the upper lungs. The placement of the hands on the upper back help create space between the shoulder blades and also supports the alignment of the cervical spine. It also increases heart rate and blood pressure which enhances vitality and energy. Use this mudra to stimulate the senses, increase energy levels, enhance enthusiasm, and awaken infinte possibilities.

Chakras balanced: Throat chakra (Vishuddha)
Body systems balanced: endocrine

4. Chinmaya mudra (Gesture for balancing the root chakra)

This mudra directs breath, awareness, and energy to the base of the body and deepens our connection to the earth, and our feelings of security. It can instill a sense of balance and alignment helping us feel more embodied. Use this mudra to balance the root chakra, support optimal elimination, reduce anxiety and stress, and support the health of the skeletal system.

Chakras balanced: Root chakra (Muladhara)
Body systems balanced: skeletal, eliminatory

5. Jhana mudra (Gesture for awakening clear seeing)

This mudra awakens clarity and allows us to witness our thoughts, feelings, and limited beliefs which can perpetuate a cycle of limitations that can contribute to our suffering. By witnessing all that arises in the mind without identifying, we are no longer drawn to the mind’s drama. This gesture directs our awareness to our third eye center, the seat of intuition, and allows our authentic being to come to the foreground. Use this mudra to awaken clear seeing through the power of witnessing, and enhance concentration.

Chakras balanced: Third eye (Ajna chakra)
Body systems balanced: nervous, endocrine, respiratory

Conclusion

Integrating mudras into your daily routine isn’t merely a ritual; it's an exploration of how subtle energy manipulation can lead to profound changes in health and consciousness.

Did you try the mudras above? How did your body, mind, and soul respond to each one?

Mudras for Healing: How Simple Hand Positions Transform Mind and Body