Vishnu Mudra
The working hand-shape for Nadi Shodhana. The index and middle fingers fold in, leaving the thumb and the ring finger free to close each nostril in turn. Not a mudra held for its own sake, but the tool that makes alternate-nostril breathing possible.
Meaning of the name
The seal of Vishnu, the sustainer. It is the hand that maintains the alternation on which life depends.
How to practise
- 1
Use the right hand. Fold the index and middle fingers into the palm.
- 2
Keep the thumb, ring finger and little finger extended.
- 3
The thumb closes the right nostril; the ring finger closes the left.
- 4
Raise the elbow only as high as needed — do not lift the shoulder.
- 5
Rest the left hand in Gyan or Chin Mudra on the left knee throughout.
Benefits
- Enables precise, unhurried control of the nostrils in Nadi Shodhana
- Keeps the fingers out of the eyes and the wrist unstrained during long practice
- Balances the two nostrils and, with them, the two hemispheres of the brain
- Regulates blood pressure and heart rate through the practice it supports
What happens in the nervous system
The nasal cycle — the natural alternation of dominant nostril every few hours — is under autonomic control and correlates with shifts in cerebral hemisphere activity. Deliberately equalising the two sides is the physiological argument for Nadi Shodhana, and this hand shape is simply what makes it comfortable enough to sustain.
