Why Mantras and Mudras Matter

Mantra and Mudra are two important practices within the wider tradition of Yoga. Both work with aspects of experience that are subtler than physical movement alone. Mantra works primarily through sound, repetition and attention, while Mudra uses gesture, posture and awareness to influence the way we experience the body and mind.

In traditional Yoga, neither practice is simply an ornament added to an asana class. Mantra and Mudra belong to a much broader understanding of Yoga in which the body, breath, senses, mind and subtle dimensions of experience are explored together.

For students undertaking a traditional Yoga Teacher Training, particularly a 200 Hour YTT, 300 Hour YTT, 200 Hour TTC or 300 Hour TTC, understanding these practices helps to reveal that Yoga is much more than physical exercise.

Mantra: the Yoga of Sound

Osho described the depth of mantra beautifully:

“A mantra is not just something to chant. It is not chanting. A mantra is something to let sink deep in your being, just as roots go deep into the earth. The deeper the roots go into the earth, the higher the tree will go into the sky.”

A mantra is traditionally understood as a sacred sound, syllable, word or phrase used as an object of concentration and meditation. The Sanskrit word is often explained through the traditional interpretation of man, meaning mind, and tra, associated with an instrument or means of protection and liberation. Thus mantra is commonly understood as a tool for working with and freeing the mind.

This traditional interpretation points towards something important. Mantra is not merely about producing a pleasant sound. The repetition of a mantra gives the mind a chosen focus. Instead of allowing attention to move continuously between memories, plans, emotions and external stimulation, the practitioner returns again and again to the sound.

With regular practice, repetition can become increasingly subtle. A mantra may first be spoken aloud, then whispered, and eventually repeated mentally. In deeper practice, the distinction between the sound, the repetition and the awareness of the mantra can become increasingly refined.

This is one reason Mantra Yoga has such an important relationship with meditation.

Sanskrit and the tradition of mantra

Mantra has a particularly important place in the Sanskrit tradition because Sanskrit has been used for thousands of years as a language of sacred texts, ritual, philosophy and spiritual practice. The ancient Vedic and Yogic traditions placed considerable importance on sound, pronunciation, rhythm and the transmission of sacred formulas.

It would be too simplistic, however, to describe Sanskrit as the literal mother of all Indian or European languages. Sanskrit belongs to the Indo European language family, while the Dravidian languages, including Tamil, have a different linguistic history. Sanskrit has nevertheless had an enormous influence on the intellectual, literary and religious traditions of India.

In mantra practice, the sound is important, but so are pronunciation, rhythm, intention and awareness.

Traditional practitioners therefore do not generally treat mantra as a collection of arbitrary sounds. Many mantras are received within a particular lineage and are practised according to established methods.

Nada Yoga and the power of sound

The exploration of sound is also associated with Nada Yoga, the Yoga of inner and outer sound.

Nada can refer to sound, vibration or the subtle experience of sound. In Nada Yoga, listening becomes as important as producing sound. The practitioner gradually develops sensitivity to the relationship between sound, attention and consciousness.

Mantra practice can therefore become much more than repetition. It can become a meditation in which sound provides a bridge between the external and internal dimensions of experience.

The purpose is not to use sound simply to “manifest desires” in a mechanical sense. Traditional Yoga gives mantra a deeper role in concentration, purification, devotion, meditation and transformation of the mind.

This distinction matters.

Mantra should not be approached as a magical formula that guarantees a particular worldly result. Nor should ordinary chanting be described as something that will damage the soul if performed with the wrong intention. Such claims are too absolute and do not accurately represent the diversity of traditional mantra practice.

What does matter is the attitude with which we practise.

A distracted repetition of a mantra will naturally have a different effect from attentive practice undertaken with understanding and sincerity.

Making Mudras

The word Mudra is commonly translated as seal, gesture or symbolic gesture. In Yoga, Mudras are used in several different ways, and they extend far beyond the simple hand gestures commonly seen in photographs of meditation.

Some Mudras involve the hands and fingers. Others involve the face, eyes, breath, body position or a combination of these. Traditional Hatha Yoga texts describe Mudras as important practices for influencing the body, breath and subtle dimensions of Yoga practice.

One useful way of understanding them is to see a Mudra as a particular configuration of the body that supports a particular state of attention and practice.

The traditional classifications of Hasta Mudra, Manas Mudra and Kaya Mudra reflect different levels of practice. Hasta Mudras primarily involve the hands. Manas Mudras involve the senses and mental attention, often including the eyes, face and other subtle actions. Kaya Mudras involve the whole body and can be considerably more demanding.

The practices should therefore be learned progressively and, particularly in more advanced forms, under appropriate guidance.

The five elements and the fingers

Many traditional systems of Yoga and Ayurveda work with the concept of the Pancha Tattva, the five great elements: earth, water, fire, air and space.

In the traditional symbolic association used for many Hasta Mudras, the fingers are related to these five elements. The thumb represents fire, the index finger air, the middle finger space, the ring finger earth and the little finger water.

These associations form part of the traditional framework through which Mudras are understood. They should not be interpreted as a literal anatomical explanation of how the fingers control physical elements inside the body.

The thumb, representing fire or Agni, is particularly important in many Mudras because it is brought into contact with another finger to create a specific gesture.

The index finger is associated with air, or Vayu. The middle finger represents space, or Akasha. The ring finger represents earth, or Prithivi. The little finger represents water, or Jala or Apas.

Understanding these symbolic relationships can make traditional Mudras easier to remember and can also introduce students to the broader relationship between Yoga and the elemental model found in Indian traditions.

Jnana and Chin Mudra

Perhaps the most familiar Mudras in Yoga are Jnana Mudra and Chin Mudra, in which the thumb and index finger come together.

Jnana means knowledge or wisdom. Chin is associated with consciousness.

These Mudras are frequently used during meditation and Pranayama. The hands rest comfortably while the fingers form the gesture, giving the practitioner a physical point of awareness.

The value of such a Mudra does not necessarily lie in the idea that touching two fingers automatically produces a particular physiological result. Its value can also be understood through attention, symbolism, steadiness and the cultivation of an appropriate meditative attitude.

A simple gesture can remind the practitioner that the physical body and the mental practice are not being treated as completely separate.

Mudras and the elements

Traditional Mudra teachings often group practices according to the elements represented by the fingers.

When the thumb and index finger are brought together, the gesture is traditionally associated with the relationship between fire and air. Jnana Mudra and Chin Mudra are familiar examples.

When the thumb and middle finger come together, the relationship is traditionally associated with fire and space. Akasha Mudra and Shunya Mudra are examples found in traditional practice.

When the thumb and ring finger are joined, the gesture is associated with fire and earth. Prithivi Mudra is traditionally associated with stability and grounding, while Agni Mudra is associated with the principle of fire.

When the thumb and little finger come together, the relationship is traditionally associated with fire and water. Varuna Mudra is commonly associated with the water element.

These associations provide a traditional map for studying Mudras. They should not, however, be treated as substitutes for medical treatment. Claims that a particular Mudra can cure arthritis, eliminate bacteria, reduce body weight or treat specific illnesses are not appropriate as general medical statements.

Yoga practices can support wellbeing, concentration and self awareness, but health conditions require appropriate professional assessment and treatment.

Mudra as a practice of awareness

Perhaps the most useful way to approach Mudras is not to ask immediately, “What disease will this Mudra cure?”

A more Yogic question is, “What happens to my awareness when I practise this Mudra?”

The position of the hands changes the physical experience. The practitioner becomes aware of the fingers, hands and arms. The gesture creates a particular physical reference point, and with practice this can become part of the meditative process.

When the body is steady and the breath is quiet, even a simple Mudra can help bring attention inward.

This is particularly relevant in traditional Hatha Yoga, where physical practices are not considered separate from Pranayama, Pratyahara, concentration and meditation.

Learning Mantra and Mudra properly

Mantra and Mudra may appear simple, but simplicity does not necessarily mean superficiality.

A hand gesture can be learned in a few seconds, while understanding its place within a traditional Yoga system may take considerably longer. The same applies to mantra. Anyone can repeat a sound, but learning how a particular mantra is pronounced, understood, practised and integrated into meditation requires proper instruction.

This is one reason that traditional Yoga Teacher Training in Goa and Yoga Teacher Training in India should go beyond teaching asana alone.

A serious 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training should give students an understanding of the foundations of Yoga philosophy, meditation, Pranayama, anatomy and traditional practice. A more advanced 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training can provide greater depth in subjects such as Mantra, Mudra, meditation, Yoga Nidra, subtle practices and the wider philosophical traditions of Yoga.

The purpose of such study is not to collect techniques.

It is to understand how the different practices belong together.

Mantra, Mudra and meditation

When Mantra and Mudra are brought together with asana, Pranayama and meditation, they can create a more complete experience of traditional Yoga practice.

The body becomes steady. The breath becomes more refined. The senses gradually turn inward. The hands assume a particular gesture. The mantra provides a continuous object for attention.

The practice begins to move beyond physical exercise.

This is one of the reasons that residential Yoga retreats can offer something different from a conventional drop in Yoga class. When practice, study, silence, meditation and daily routine are given a natural rhythm, students have more opportunity to experience how the different limbs and techniques of Yoga support one another.

At a traditional Yoga retreat in Goa, particularly one following an ashram or Gurukula style of living, Mantra and Mudra can be introduced as part of a wider approach to Yoga rather than as isolated techniques.

The deeper purpose

The deeper purpose of Mantra and Mudra is not to accumulate spiritual techniques.

Yoga has never been simply about collecting practices. The traditional teachings repeatedly bring us back to the question of awareness.

What happens when the mind becomes steady?

What happens when attention is no longer scattered?

What happens when sound becomes a vehicle for concentration rather than entertainment?

What happens when the body becomes a support for meditation rather than merely an object of physical achievement?

These are the questions that make Mantra and Mudra meaningful.

Mantra gives the mind a sound through which it can become concentrated. Mudra gives the body a gesture through which awareness can become refined. Together with Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, meditation and other traditional practices, they can become part of a deeper exploration of Yoga.

The practices are simple enough to begin with, but they invite a depth of study that can continue for many years.

As with all traditional Yoga practices, the quality of attention matters more than the number of techniques we collect.

The real practice begins when the technique becomes a means of becoming more aware.

SWAN Yoga Retreat
Assagao, North Goa, India