Meditating with Mantras and Mudras in Therapeutic Yoga

Some of the most famous images in yoga are of a silver-haired and wrinkled B.K.S. Iyengar in an advanced posture just a few years before his death well into his nineties, or a pink lipstick-wearing Tao Porchon-Lynch displaying increAfter practicing yoga over a long enough period of time, most of us encounter its more nuanced components that don’t necessarily fall into the category of asana or pranayama. These types of practices are especially of interest to yoga therapists, as they tap into the more subtle forms of using yoga for healing.

In meditation, we sometimes make use of mantras and/or mudras. Mantras are words or phrases that can be repeated aloud or to oneself with the rhythm of the breath, and mudras are the use of the hands to focus the brain. While most yoga practitioners have had some exposure to these concepts, as yoga therapists, we can go a step deeper to understand why they are used and how they can support healing.

What makes mantras and mudras of such interest to yoga therapists is how they tap into the parts of the body that can be most effective for promoting healing. The Homunculus Diagram shows the human body in proportion to the amount of nerve endings in each part. For this reason, when offering a yoga chikitsa, yoga therapists pay special attention to the parts of the body with the greatest number of nerve endings because of their efficacy to support healing – the face, lips and mouth (mantras) and the hands and fingers (mudras).

Thus, mantras and mudras help link physical actions to the functioning of the mind. Especially for active students, those who find meditation challenging, or those who are pitta vitiated, Ayurvedically-speaking, mantras and mudras can be a highly effective point through which to access meditation.

Mantras

Mantras have transcended the yoga community and are commonly cited as ways to enhance performance and in self-help circles. We repeat these words or short phrases to manifest an outcome or send out an intention, reminiscent of a prayer.

In yoga, mantras are chanted or repeated silently. When chanted or spoken aloud, we activate the healing capacities of connecting the brain to the mouth, lips and tongue. Even if repeated silently, mantras can help focus the mind during meditation.

Some common mantras include:

• Kirtan kriya – Four syllables, sa ta na ma, meaning birth, life death and rebirth – make up this classic mantra. The Kirtan kriya can be highly effective in focusing the mind during meditation when it is repeated over and over in a melodic way.

• Peace mantras – Om shanti shanti shanti is a common mantra used to call in peace, often heard at the end of a yoga class or to conclude a longer chant. Another mantra for peace can be more personal, such as breathing in “I am at peace,” and repeating it on the exhale. If “at peace” does not resonate with you, you can substitute another state of being to help bring a sense of ease to the mind and body.

• Devotional mantras – Mantras can also be used to chant devotion to a belief system or deity. One of the most common devotional mantras is the Gaytri mantra, which Sri Swami Satchidananda translates as “Let us meditate on Isvara [God] and His Glory who has created the Universe, who is fit to be worshipped, who is the remover of all sins and ignorance. May he enlighten our intellect." 

Mudras

Given the concentration of nerve endings in the hands and fingers, using them in meditation is said to be the most effective body-based yoga style to improve brain function. It also makes mudras one of the most accessible forms of asana, given the undeniably physical aspect of the practice. If you’re working with a client in a hospital setting, or if you’re working to introduce a more physical practice, mudras can be a great way to ease into asana.

Some common mudras

• Anjali mudra -- The most common mudra most of us are familiar with is Anjali mudra, or bringing the hands to a prayer position at the center of the chest. This is a devotional position meant to bring awareness to the heart’s center and can be found within many other asanas.

• Dhyana mudra – Place the non-dominant hand in the lap, face-up, with the dominant hand resting face-up on top of it. This is a powerful mantra for promoting healing and balance, by symbolically cradling our yang side and allowing it to rest.

Once you’ve introduced mantas or mudras to a yoga therapy client, the next step is putting them together.

• Mala beads – Chanting or repeating a mantra 108 times as you hold a mala is one of the most classical examples of devotion. Hold the mala in your right hand, draped over your middle finger. Using the thumb, touch one bead, silently or out loud speak your mantra, and slide your thumb to the next bead, being sure to skip over the large guru bead. At PYI, we chant “aham Prema” 108 times to honor the divine love inherent to our lineage.

• The Kirtan kriya – Once you’ve learned sa ta na ma, you can add the hands. On sa, lightly touch the thumb to the index finger, bring the thumb to the top of the middle finger for ta, the fourth finger for na, and the pinky finger for ma. Repeat.

Mantras and mudras are well known in yoga, but it’s their therapeutic effects where they really stand out. Ultimately, mantras and mudras are simple and highly accessible tools to deepen a therapeutic yoga experience.

LINKS:

https://www.intuitiveflow.com/the-magic-of-the-hand-mudras/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwRoHC83wx0&feature=youtu.be

https://www.yogiapproved.com/om/mantras-explained-use/

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Hannah Slocum Darcy is a yoga teacher and a student at Prema Yoga Institute. She specializes in accessibility and adaptive practice for many life stages and scenarios.