Prana Mudra
Earth and water together meet fire: the ring and little fingertips both touch the thumb. Called the mudra of vitality, it is the one to reach for when energy has run out and nothing specific is wrong.
Meaning of the name
The seal of life-force. Prāṇa is not breath but what moves in the breath — the animating current itself.
How to practise
- 1
Sit upright, or lie in Shavasana with the hands resting beside the body.
- 2
Bend the ring and little fingers so both tips meet the tip of the thumb.
- 3
Keep the index and middle fingers straight and together.
- 4
Hold both hands in the same shape, palms upward.
- 5
Breathe slowly and evenly for 20 to 40 minutes. Many practitioners hold this one for an hour without difficulty.
Benefits
- Restores energy in chronic fatigue and after illness or surgery
- Strengthens immunity and shortens the course of common infections
- Improves eyesight and reduces eye strain; classically prescribed for weak vision
- Steadies blood pressure and improves circulation to the extremities
- Reduces nervousness, stage fright and performance anxiety
- Increases stamina — traditionally taken before long exertion or fasting
What happens in the nervous system
Fatigue without a findable cause is very often autonomic: a nervous system stuck in low-grade sympathetic activation, which is exhausting precisely because it never resolves. Long, still holds with slow breathing raise vagal tone and let the system finish the stress cycle it has been holding open. Energy returns not because something was added but because a leak was closed.
Related practices
Apana Mudra
अपान मुद्रा
Apana Vayu Mudra
अपान वायु मुद्रा
Prithvi Mudra
पृथ्वी मुद्रा
Varun Mudra
वरुण मुद्रा
KSN Yoga & Healing