3. MUDRA and BANDHA: 25 SEALS and BONDS From Gheranda Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and Shiva Samhita
There are twenty-five mudras, the practice of which gives success to the Yogis.
Gheranda Samhita 3.1
The Gheranda Samhita describes 25 mudras and bandhas. Below, the 10 practices from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika are indicated with a star (*). The 10 practices described in the Shiva Samhita are indicated with a cross (⊥). GAZING (drishti) at the middle of the eyebrows is called bhru madhya drishti (“mid-brow gazing”) and is performed in mudras marked with an up-triangle(). Jalandhara’s Bond (jalandhara bandha) is performed when the practice is marked with a square (#).
NAME (Sanskrit) RESULT
“English”
1. ASHVINI MUDRA Invigorates the body, cures diseases of the rectum, and
“Dawn-horse Seal” helps awaken Kundalini
Contract and dilate the anal sphincter muscle repeatedly.
2. BHUJANGINI MUDRA Destroys all stomach diseases
“Serpent Seal”
Extend the neck a little forward and draw in air through the esophagus.
3. JALANDHARA BANDHA*⊥ Closes the 16 supports (adharas); destroys death; “he who
“Water-pipe Bond” practices for six months is an adept”
Press the chin and the top of the sternum bone together. The 16 supports are the: thumbs, ankles, knees, thighs, prepuce, organs of generation, navel, heart, neck, throat, palate, nose, middle of the eyebrows, forehead, head, fontanelle (brahma randhra).
4. KAKI MUDRA Destroys all disease
“Crow Seal”
Shape the mouth like a crow’s beak and then suck in air.
5. KHECHARI MUDRA*⊥ Destroys disease, decay and death; the body becomes
“Space-walking Seal” divine, it can’t be burned by fire, dried by wind, wetted by
water, bitten by snakes; it becomes “beautiful”; samadhi is
quickly attained
Sit in Vajrasana. “Gently insert the tongue into the base of the palate.”
The next three bandhas must be performed together (in the order 7, 6, 8). “These three are the great secrets” (Hatha Yoga Pradipika 3.30):
6. MAHA BANDHA*⊥# Destroys decay and death; “by its grace the yogi can achieve
“Great Bond” whatever he wants”
Press the left heel against the anus, put the right foot on the left thigh; slowly contract the muscles of the rectum and base of the pelvis (perineum); restrain the breath with Jalandhara Bandha.
7. MAHA MUDRA*⊥# Cures all disease, destroys death, confers siddhis
“Great Seal”
Press one heel against the anus, keep the other leg straight; hold the big toe of the straight leg (like janu shirshasana). Restrain the breath with Jalandhara Bandha.
8. MAHA VEDHA*⊥# Destroys decay and death
“Great Piercer”
Sit in Maha Bandha and restrain the breath (after exhalation) with Jalandhara Bandha. Then, with the support of the hands, lift off the ground and gently tap the ground with the buttocks several times.
9. MANDUKI MUDRA The body gets “eternal youth”
“Frog Seal”
Press the tip of the tongue against the palate.
10. MATANGINI MUDRA Destroys decay and death, confers great strength like an
“Elephant Seal” elephant (Gheranda)
Stand in neck-deep water. First draw in water through the nostrils and expel it out the mouth; then draw in water through the mouth and expel it through the nostrils.
11. MULA BANDHA*⊥ Destroys decay; controls prana
“Root Seal”
Press the left heel against the anus and contract the rectum (ashvini mudra); press the intestines near the navel against the spine; press the right heel against the pubis.
12. NABHO MUDRA Destroys all disease
“Ether Seal”
“Wherever the yogi may be, he should always, in everything he does, be sure to keep his tongue turned upwards and constantly hold the breath” (Gheranda). Similar to Khechari Mudra (#5).
13-17. PANCHA DHARANA MUDRA (five Concentration Seals)
18. PASHINI MUDRA Awakens Kundalini
“Bird-catcher Seal”
Wrap the legs around the neck, like Yoga Nidrasana (“Yoga sleep”).
19. SHAKTI CHALANI MUDRA⊥ Destroys decay and death
“Stirring-the-power Seal”
Sit in Siddhasana. There are two different descriptions of this seal.
1. Wrap the midriff in a cloth [nine inches long, three inches wide, soft, white, and fine] and tie to your body with a string. Rub your body with ashes and sit in Siddhasana. Inhale and force the prana to join with apana. Perform Ashvini Mudra until the air is forced into Sushumna Nadi. Always practice this mudra before Yoni Mudra (#25) (Gheranda).
2. Sit in Vajrasana, hold the ankles, and press the lower belly (kanda); perform Bellows (bhastrika) (Svatmarama).
20. SHAMBHAVI MUDRA (Shiva’s Seal)
21. TADAGI MUDRA Destroys decay and death
“Pond (or Tank) Seal”
“Draw the belly backwards and upwards so that it looks like a pond.”
22. UDDIYANA BANDHA* The “Great Bird” forced up into the Sushumna; makes
“Flying-up Bond” emancipation easy; “a lion against the elephant of death”
Forcefully contract the abdomen and press the viscera up towards the diaphragm and back towards the spine.
23. VAJRONI MUDRA Awakens Shakti, causes long life, emancipation
Sometimes VAJROLI
“Thunderbolt”
Sit with legs raised, hands on ground (looks like Paripurna Navasana with hands on floor).
24. VIPARITA KARANI MUDRA⊥* Destroys decay and death; yogi won’t perish even
“Inverse action seal” at pralaya (i.e. dissolution of the universe)
Perform Shoulderstand; sometimes interpreted as Headstand.
25. YONI MUDRA Never polluted by sins
“Perineal seal”
Sit in siddhasana. There are two different descriptions of this seal.
1. Yoni mudra is used as another term for what we call Shan Mukhi Mudra: close the ears with the thumbs, eyes with the index fingers, nostrils with the mid fingers, upper lip with the ring fingers, lower lip with the little fingers. Draw in the breath with Kaki Mudra (#4). Contemplate on Shiva/Shakti, and realize self-identity with Brahma, the “source” (yoni) within (Gheranda).
2. Contract the perineum (yoni) (Shiva Samhita).
UDDANA BANDHA Destroys sins, sorrows, disease and death; purifies the navel
“Upward Bond” (and thereby the “winds”), and kindles gastric fire; gives “power over the microcosm” (vigraha siddhi)
Described only in Shiva Samhita. The viscera below and above the navel are brought to the left side above the navel.
Gheranda Samhita 3.1
The Gheranda Samhita describes 25 mudras and bandhas. Below, the 10 practices from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika are indicated with a star (*). The 10 practices described in the Shiva Samhita are indicated with a cross (⊥). GAZING (drishti) at the middle of the eyebrows is called bhru madhya drishti (“mid-brow gazing”) and is performed in mudras marked with an up-triangle(). Jalandhara’s Bond (jalandhara bandha) is performed when the practice is marked with a square (#).
NAME (Sanskrit) RESULT
“English”
1. ASHVINI MUDRA Invigorates the body, cures diseases of the rectum, and
“Dawn-horse Seal” helps awaken Kundalini
Contract and dilate the anal sphincter muscle repeatedly.
2. BHUJANGINI MUDRA Destroys all stomach diseases
“Serpent Seal”
Extend the neck a little forward and draw in air through the esophagus.
3. JALANDHARA BANDHA*⊥ Closes the 16 supports (adharas); destroys death; “he who
“Water-pipe Bond” practices for six months is an adept”
Press the chin and the top of the sternum bone together. The 16 supports are the: thumbs, ankles, knees, thighs, prepuce, organs of generation, navel, heart, neck, throat, palate, nose, middle of the eyebrows, forehead, head, fontanelle (brahma randhra).
4. KAKI MUDRA Destroys all disease
“Crow Seal”
Shape the mouth like a crow’s beak and then suck in air.
5. KHECHARI MUDRA*⊥ Destroys disease, decay and death; the body becomes
“Space-walking Seal” divine, it can’t be burned by fire, dried by wind, wetted by
water, bitten by snakes; it becomes “beautiful”; samadhi is
quickly attained
Sit in Vajrasana. “Gently insert the tongue into the base of the palate.”
The next three bandhas must be performed together (in the order 7, 6, 8). “These three are the great secrets” (Hatha Yoga Pradipika 3.30):
6. MAHA BANDHA*⊥# Destroys decay and death; “by its grace the yogi can achieve
“Great Bond” whatever he wants”
Press the left heel against the anus, put the right foot on the left thigh; slowly contract the muscles of the rectum and base of the pelvis (perineum); restrain the breath with Jalandhara Bandha.
7. MAHA MUDRA*⊥# Cures all disease, destroys death, confers siddhis
“Great Seal”
Press one heel against the anus, keep the other leg straight; hold the big toe of the straight leg (like janu shirshasana). Restrain the breath with Jalandhara Bandha.
8. MAHA VEDHA*⊥# Destroys decay and death
“Great Piercer”
Sit in Maha Bandha and restrain the breath (after exhalation) with Jalandhara Bandha. Then, with the support of the hands, lift off the ground and gently tap the ground with the buttocks several times.
9. MANDUKI MUDRA The body gets “eternal youth”
“Frog Seal”
Press the tip of the tongue against the palate.
10. MATANGINI MUDRA Destroys decay and death, confers great strength like an
“Elephant Seal” elephant (Gheranda)
Stand in neck-deep water. First draw in water through the nostrils and expel it out the mouth; then draw in water through the mouth and expel it through the nostrils.
11. MULA BANDHA*⊥ Destroys decay; controls prana
“Root Seal”
Press the left heel against the anus and contract the rectum (ashvini mudra); press the intestines near the navel against the spine; press the right heel against the pubis.
12. NABHO MUDRA Destroys all disease
“Ether Seal”
“Wherever the yogi may be, he should always, in everything he does, be sure to keep his tongue turned upwards and constantly hold the breath” (Gheranda). Similar to Khechari Mudra (#5).
13-17. PANCHA DHARANA MUDRA (five Concentration Seals)
18. PASHINI MUDRA Awakens Kundalini
“Bird-catcher Seal”
Wrap the legs around the neck, like Yoga Nidrasana (“Yoga sleep”).
19. SHAKTI CHALANI MUDRA⊥ Destroys decay and death
“Stirring-the-power Seal”
Sit in Siddhasana. There are two different descriptions of this seal.
1. Wrap the midriff in a cloth [nine inches long, three inches wide, soft, white, and fine] and tie to your body with a string. Rub your body with ashes and sit in Siddhasana. Inhale and force the prana to join with apana. Perform Ashvini Mudra until the air is forced into Sushumna Nadi. Always practice this mudra before Yoni Mudra (#25) (Gheranda).
2. Sit in Vajrasana, hold the ankles, and press the lower belly (kanda); perform Bellows (bhastrika) (Svatmarama).
20. SHAMBHAVI MUDRA (Shiva’s Seal)
21. TADAGI MUDRA Destroys decay and death
“Pond (or Tank) Seal”
“Draw the belly backwards and upwards so that it looks like a pond.”
22. UDDIYANA BANDHA* The “Great Bird” forced up into the Sushumna; makes
“Flying-up Bond” emancipation easy; “a lion against the elephant of death”
Forcefully contract the abdomen and press the viscera up towards the diaphragm and back towards the spine.
23. VAJRONI MUDRA Awakens Shakti, causes long life, emancipation
Sometimes VAJROLI
“Thunderbolt”
Sit with legs raised, hands on ground (looks like Paripurna Navasana with hands on floor).
24. VIPARITA KARANI MUDRA⊥* Destroys decay and death; yogi won’t perish even
“Inverse action seal” at pralaya (i.e. dissolution of the universe)
Perform Shoulderstand; sometimes interpreted as Headstand.
25. YONI MUDRA Never polluted by sins
“Perineal seal”
Sit in siddhasana. There are two different descriptions of this seal.
1. Yoni mudra is used as another term for what we call Shan Mukhi Mudra: close the ears with the thumbs, eyes with the index fingers, nostrils with the mid fingers, upper lip with the ring fingers, lower lip with the little fingers. Draw in the breath with Kaki Mudra (#4). Contemplate on Shiva/Shakti, and realize self-identity with Brahma, the “source” (yoni) within (Gheranda).
2. Contract the perineum (yoni) (Shiva Samhita).
UDDANA BANDHA Destroys sins, sorrows, disease and death; purifies the navel
“Upward Bond” (and thereby the “winds”), and kindles gastric fire; gives “power over the microcosm” (vigraha siddhi)
Described only in Shiva Samhita. The viscera below and above the navel are brought to the left side above the navel.
