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Scant attention is paid to hand (hasta) mudras in the literature on Hatha-Yoga,
though many are described in Tantric texts such as the Nirvana-Tantra. However considerable
attention is given to mudras that involve specific muscular contractions and physical
positions in Hatha texts: the Hatha Yoga Pradipika mentions eleven in all, the Siva Samhita
ten, and the Gheranda-Samhita twenty-five that include the panchandharana ('five
dharanas') that involve concentrating on the five material elements (bhutas). The
following descriptions of a selection of mudras are drawn from these three texts.
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Mula-bandha ('root lock') involves contracting the perineum which lies between the
anus and the genitals (corresponding to muladhara cakra), although other accounts
stipulate that it is the anal sphincter that is contracted, and others again that
the heel is pressed against this area. Mula-bandha is said to promote sexual control
(bramacharya), and to be effective in releasing Brahma-granthi.
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Uddiyana bandha ('upward-going lock') is performed by emptying the lungs and then
drawing the abdomen back strongly towards the spine and up towards the thorax, with
the intention of stimulating the 'gastric fire', uniting prana and apana vayus,
and dissolving Visnu granthi.
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Jalandhara-bandha ('throat lock') involves drawing the chin in and pressing it down
towards the jugular notch (between the collar bones), thereby preventing the passage
of air through the throat as well as the flow of prana though ida and pingala nadis.
It is also said to be a means of releasing Rudra granthi.
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Maha-bandha ('great lock'). In some accounts maha bandha involves holding jalandhara,
uddiyana and mula bandhas simultaneously during bahya kunbhaka while sitting in
padmasana or siddhasana. In other accounts it is performed by pressing the perineum
with the left heel with the right foot sole upwards on the left thigh while applying
mula- and jalandhara bandhas, all of which is then repeated with the legs reversed.
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Maha-mudra ('great seal') is performed by pressing the left heel against the perineum
and grasping the toes of the right outstretched leg while applying mula- and jalandhara-bandhas.
This is then repeated with the legs reversed.
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Nabho-mudra ('sky seal') is executed by turning the tongue upward against the palate.
This can be done during any activity.
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Maha-bedha-mudra ('great penetrator'). Bedha (sometimes vedha) here refers to the
'piercing' of the cakras and granthis within susumna nadi, which is said to occur
when this mudra is perfected. It involves holding maha bandha while placing the
hands flat on the ground on either side of the buttocks so that the body can be
lifted off the ground and then dropped repeatedly to stimulate muladhara-cakra.
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Khecari-mudra ('space-walking seal') involves fixing the gaze on the spot between
and just above the eyebrows (ajna cakra) while the tongue is turned back and into
the passage above and behind the soft palate. This combined act is said to prevent
the 'nectar of imortality' (amrita) from being consumed in the 'gastric fire' or
lost in ejaculation, leading to health, longevity and a host of paranormal powers
(siddhis). The tongue position obstructs the passage of air into the lungs, and
so this mudra can only be successfully performed by those who have mastered kevala-kumbhaka,
and those who have lengthened the tongue enough to allow it to reach behind the
soft palate.
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Viparita karani-mudra ('inverted action seal'). This mudra is also designed to retain
amrita, though in this case by inverting the body so that the soft palate lies below
the abdominal region. Details as to how this mudra is to be performed varies between
texts: the Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika (3.77-79) states that it should be learned from
one's guru; Brahmananda (Jyotsna: 3.81) interprets it as a version of the shoulderstand
(sarvangasana); the Gheranda-Samhita (3.33-35) as something resembling the headstand
(sirsasana); while the Siva-Samhita (4.45-47) describes something like the shoulderstand
but with the legs moved 'round and round'.
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Yoni-mudra ('womb seal') is performed by sitting in siddhasana and closing the eyes,
ears, nostrils, and the mouth with the fingers while retaining the breath and focusing
attention on the cakras. It is also called shan-mukhi-mudra.
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Vajroli-mudra ('thunderbolt seal'). According to some accounts this mudra is performed
by raising oneself off the ground while winding the legs around the neck. However
other texts describe a more controversial practice that involves the voluntary prevention
of ejaculation at the moment of orgasm, before drawing the unexpressed seminal fluid
up into the bladder. Alternatively, the seminal fluid can be ejaculated and mixed
with the fluids of the sexual partner before being drawn back into the urethra.
Another version entails the more straightforward practice of contracting the urethra
sphincter muscle as if holding back an intense urge to urinate. A more symbolic
version of this mudra is also suggested in the Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika (4.14): 'When
the mind (citta) has reached a state of equanimity and prana moves through susumna,
then there is Vajroli , which implies that this mudra involves specific inner
states of awareness rather than, or in addition to, the physical versions.
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Sambhavi-mudra ('Sambhu's [Siva's] seal) involves gazing at the spot between and
just above the eyebrows (ajna cakra) while inwardly contemplating the Self.
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Ashvini-mudra ('dawn-horse seal') is performed by repeatedly contracting the anal
sphincter muscle.
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Pasini-mudra ('bird-catcher seal') is executed by crossing the legs behind the neck
though without raising the body off the ground as in one version of vajroli mudra.
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Kaki-mudra (crow seal') is performed by slowly inhaling through the mouth which
is formed into a crow's beak much as it is in sitali kumbhaka.
Dharana and Dhyana
The strongly dualistic philosophical principles that underlie Patanjali's Yoga Sutra
find expression in conceptions of dharana and dhyana that promote the progressive
restriction or cessation (nirodah) of the fluctuations of the mind (citta vrtti),
in order to facilitate the discrimination of purusa from prakrti. Dharana (from
the verb root dhri or dha = 'to hold') is concentration on a single form, whether
that be an object, symbol or principle, with fixed attention. In dhyana the flow
of attention towards that single form becomes continuous and uninterrupted. The
use of these terms in Hatha texts is not inconsistent with these definitions, though
the methods used and the goals implied are considerably broadened by the guiding
principle that liberation can arise in and through the body. This is evident in
the emphasis in Hatha Yoga on the cultivation of prana as a means of refining awareness,
which, as was discussed earlier in this article, understands the attainment of dharana
and dhyana in terms of the amount of time that prana is held in susumna-nadi.
Consistent with this understanding, Hatha texts also detail specific practices under
the label of dharana and or dhyana, though often the distinction made by Patanjali
between these two states is not as clearly maintained. The panchandharana (five
dharanas) mentioned in the previous section are examples of such practices, their
inclusion among the twenty five mudras described in the Gheranda Samhita demonstrating
the close relationship between what would otherwise be regarded as physical practices
and the development of sustained attention in Hatha-Yoga.
As with the tantric tradition, these practices tend to rely on refining awareness
through visualisation, mantra repetition, or the subtle audition of the 'inner sounds'
(nada). The Gheranda-Samhita (6.1-22) describes three kinds of dhyana: sthula- ('gross'),
jyotir ('light') and suksma- ('subtle') dhyana. The first entails the visualisation
of a 'gross' (sthula) form such as one's guru, a favoured deity, or a cakra as one
object amongst others in the phenomenal world. The second involves focusing on the
'inner light' (jyotis or tejas) of the 'living self' (jivatman) by attending to
its presence either in muladhara cakra, or as the luminous expression of the pranava
(the mantra 'om' or 'aum') in ajna cakra. The third is said to be a 'great mystery'
(6.20), though what is made explicit is that one should perform sambhavi mudra as
kundalini awakens and ascends in order to perceive the suksma-sarira (subtle body).
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