What are Mudras and what are Mantras?

What Are Mudras and What Are Mantras?

Is a mudra a simple hand gesture we might copy because everyone in our class was doing it? And what is a mantra? A mantra can be many things; it could be a repeated phrase or a sung note, set with intention. In Vedic tradition mantras were used to help steady the mind and mudras have a similar purpose. As yoga often uses slow movement mantras and mudras can seem minimal to those looking on but they are very effective ways of creating focus. You don’t need to be spiritual to use mantras, it can be a simple breath work intention such as: “inhale, exhale” to help you steady the nervous system.

In the classes I have attended, teachers have encouraged their students to set an intention at the beginning of a session. For me, this has often meant dedicating my practice to someone and using my imagination to picture that intention. It’s something I’ve continued since my teacher training and I have found it to be a purposeful way of directing my attention and sending some love.

The word yoga means union and that to me means connecting the body with the mind, so creating a physical counterpart such as a mudra can help make that connection manifest. When people feel anxious they might find something physical to ground them – whether its a fidget toy, some gentle tapping or feeling an object, a mudra can work in a similar way as it gives you something to return to and acts as a reminder to stay present.

So, whilst Mudras are specific hand positions, they are traditionally thought to direct the flow of energy in the body with each finger / point being associated with an element:

Thumb – fire

Index – air

Middle – space

Ring – earth

Little - water

By placing the hands in a particular way such as positioning the fingers together mudras are supposed to create a reminding physical cue that supports concentration and focus. The Gyan Mudra (the thumb and index finger touch) is the most commonly used and depicted in meditation and is associated with clarity and focus.

When mantra and mudras are combined they can support different aspects of practice. Breath helps to regulate the nervous system, mantra gives the mind a point of focus and mudra provides a physical reminder of intention!