Anjali Mudra


aka: Salutation Seal


(ON-jol-ly MOO-drah)
anjali = a gesture of reverence, benediction, salutation (from anj, "to honor, celebrate")
mudra = seal (The gesture "seals" energy in the body and "seals" your relationship with the Divine.)

This gesture is also known as Hrdayanjali Mudra (pronounced hri-DIE-ahn-jah-lee, hrd = heart), the Reverence to the Heart Seal, or Atmanjali Mudra (OT-mon-JAH-lee, atman = self, derived variously from an, "to breathe," at, "to move," or va, "to blow"), Reverence to the Self Seal

The position of Anjali Mudra has many meanings. The Sanskrit term mudra means to "seal," as to secure the energy of the divine and of your body. Anjali relates to honor or benediction, an offering. This asana is also called Atmanjali Mudra and Hrdayanjali Mudra.

The benefits of Anjali Mudra include:

* A purposeful opening of the heart
* A calm centering of the mind
* Reduction of anxiety or stress

Step Into the Pose


To Perform Anjali Mudra

1. Begin in cross-legged pose, the body evenly positioned on the buttocks.
2. Bring your hands together lightly at the fingertips. There should not be any pressure in this movement, but you do want to feel the heat between the palms.
3. Draw the hands to the breastbone, elbows straight and parallel to the floor, thumbs against the chest.
4. Keep your torso straight and upright, and draw your shoulder blades down into the back.
5. Use this posture as your gateway to meditation by breathing fully, holding the position for up to five minutes.

Beginner Tips


The hands should not be slammed together. Maintain a slight opening between the palms.
Anatomical Focus

* Wrists


Therapeutic Applications

* Stress


Benefits

* Reduces stress and anxiety
* Calms the brain
* Creates flexibility in the hands, fingers, wrists, and arms
* Opens the heart


Beginner's Tip

Take care not to harden the skin as you spread the palms against each other. The center of the palm should always stay soft and maintain its "dome" shape. Keep the thumbs soft too.

Variations

This palms-together gesture is usually centered over the heart. But you can also raise the pressed hands to the front of your forehead or bring them slightly above and in front of the crown of your head.

Modifications and Props

Press a block or thick book (about 3 to 4 inches thickness) between your palms. Spread the skin of the palms and stretch the fingers out of the centers of the palms. Use the prop to help widen your sternum and collarbones. Then recreate this same width without the block, palms touching.

Partnering

Have your partner sit in front of you, also in a comfortable seated posture. Perform the gesture and have the partner cover your hands with his/hers. Sit together for a few minutes with joined hands, feeling the energetic exchange between your subtle hearts through your hands. Then reverse and cover your partner's hands with yours.

Preparatory Poses

* Adho Mukha Svanasana


Deepen The Pose

This palms-together gesture completes an energetic circuit between the hands and the heart and harmonizes the two hemispheres of the brain. See if you can discover, as you perform this gesture, the roots of the hands in the yoga or subtle heart, which unlike the physical heart is directly in the center of your chest (below the sternum and between the shoulder blades), and towards the back of the torso.