Yoga Mudras for Complete Breathing
Use Mudras to Focus the Mind and the Body's Energy in the Lungs
Mudras are gestures, generally made with the hands, which direct the body’s energy during the practice of yoga or meditation. From a physiological perspective, the stimulation of the nerve terminals within the hands send waves of energy through the body’s nervous system, activating areas of the body and brain that connect with these channels.
Certain breathing exercises (pranayama) can be done along with mudras to focus energy, deepen the breath, and strengthen the lungs.
Developing the Full Yogic Breath
In yoga, we practice the three-part breath. The breath first fills the lower lobes of the lungs above the diaphragm, then the lobes beneath the ribs and finally the upper lobes beneath the collarbones.
To help students of yoga isolate these areas of the lungs, the three parts of the breath are practiced individually and then together so that the sensation of breathing becomes like a wave flowing through the body.
Specific mudras can stimulate the energetic pathways in these parts of the chest and lungs and help develop one’s familiarity with the sensation of the full yogic breath.
To practice yogic breathing with mudras, find a comfortable seated position, preferably the thunderbolt pose (vajrasana). This can be a challenging position for those with sensitive knees or ankles. Sitting on a yoga block placed between the legs or on a blanket placed behind the knees may help alleviate the intensity of the pose in these areas.
You may also sit in a cross-legged position. Notice however, that maintaining an erect spine and open chest is more difficult in this position. Sit on the edge of a rolled up blanket or yoga mat to help tilt your pelvis forward and restore the natural curve of the spine.
If neither position is comfortable for an extended period of time, sit on a large exercise ball, if you have one available. The legs are free and comfortable and it is easy to sit up tall and straight.
- Chin Mudra and Adham Pranayama (Abominal Breathing)
Join the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb, making the “OK” sign. Extend the last three fingers. Place your hands on the tops of your thighs, palms down. Close your eyes and relax the muscles of your face. Breathe deeply through the nose, feeling the air entering the back of the throat. Feel your belly expand as the diaphragm expands, pushing out the abdominal wall. Continue for two to five minutes.
- Chinmaya Mudra and Madhyam Pranayama (Mid-chest Breathing)
Keep the index finger and thumb together, but curl the last three fingers into your palms tightly. Rest your hands back on your thighs, the backs of your fingers on your legs. Your arms will spread slightly away from your chest and you feel the ribs expanding in all directions. Imagine the rib cage expanding and contracting like an accordion and visualize the lungs massaging the heart as they move. Continue for two to five minutes.
- Adhi Mudra and Adhyam Pranayama (Upper-chest Breathing)
Open your hands and place your thumb inside your palm. Wrap all four fingers around the thumbs tightly. Rest your hands back on your thighs, fingers on the thighs. As you breathe, notice that the sensation has moved to the upper chest. Feel the collarbones rise and fall and notice how the breath feel cooler in the back of the throat and seems to rise up into the head. Continue for two to five minutes.
- Brahma Mudra and Mahatyoga Pranayama (The Complete Breath)
Keeping the hands in Adhi Mudra, join the backs of the fingers and knuckles together at the solar plexus, elbows pointing out to the sides. This pose stimulates all three lobes of the lungs. Sitting up tall with your shoulders back, breathe into the lower lungs and let the air lift the body up and lengthen the spine as you fill all the way to the top of the lungs. Inhale to your fullest capacity. Exhale, starting from the lower lungs. Feel your diaphragm contract and force the air out from the bottom. Exhale completely before inhaling again. Be observant of the mind in the moments between the inhalation and the exhalation: complete fullness and complete emptiness. Continue for as long as you’d like!
