Have you ever wondered how small hand gestures, or mudras, can impact your energy and mood?
In yoga and meditation, mudras are much more than symbolic gestures — they serve as powerful tools for channeling and balancing the body’s energy.
When used alongside chakra work, mudras can help regulate the flow of prana (life force) through your energy centers. This leads to physical, emotional, and spiritual harmony.
In this article, we’ll explore 7 mudras that correspond to each chakra and how these hand gestures can help you restore balance, reduce stress, and enhance your well-being.
1) Root Chakra (Muladhara): Gyan Mudra for grounding
The Root Chakra is located at the base of the spine and is associated with grounding, stability, and security. When this chakra is balanced, you feel safe and connected to the earth. When it’s blocked, you may feel anxious or fearful.
The Gyan Mudra, or “gesture of knowledge,” is one of the most effective mudras for grounding energy and stabilizing the root chakra. It’s often used in meditation to enhance focus and concentration while bringing a sense of inner peace.
- How to perform it: Touch the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb, forming a circle. Keep the other three fingers extended. Rest your hands on your knees, palms facing upward.
A study published in the International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts found that practicing Gyan Mudra can help reduce anxiety by calming the mind and grounding the body.
This connection to the earth helps bring balance to the Root Chakra, creating a sense of security and stability.
2) Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana): Varuna Mudra for emotional balance
The Sacral Chakra, located just below the navel, is the center of emotions, creativity, and sensuality.
When this chakra is balanced, you feel emotionally stable, creatively inspired, and in tune with your relationships.
But when it’s blocked, it can lead to emotional overwhelm, creative stagnation, or even issues with intimacy.
One mudra that has personally helped me during times of emotional imbalance is the Varuna Mudra — also called the “seal of water.”
This mudra taps into the water element, promoting fluidity and the healthy expression of emotions.
As for me, it’s been my go-to when I’ve felt stuck creatively or emotionally, helping me to restore a sense of calm and connection to myself.
- How to perform it: Touch the tip of your little finger to the tip of your thumb, while keeping the other fingers extended.
What I love about Varuna Mudra is how simple it is to incorporate into daily life.
Whether I’m sitting in meditation or just taking a mindful moment during a busy day, this gesture feels like an invitation to let my emotions flow more freely — without judgment or control.
3) Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura): Rudra Mudra for inner power
We often think that to balance the Heart Chakra, we need to focus on giving. And in giving, we mean being generous with love, compassion, and kindness.
But here’s what I’ve learned through yoga and meditation:
Balancing this energy center also means learning how to receive love, both from others and ourselves.
The Anjali Mudra, often used as a symbol of gratitude or prayer, serves as a reminder that love flows in both directions. It teaches us that receiving love is just as important as giving it.
Personally, practicing this mudra has helped me feel more open to self-compassion and acceptance, which can be just as hard to receive as love from others.
- How to perform it: Bring your palms together at the heart center, with the thumbs resting lightly against your chest.
It’s a humbling experience to realize how difficult it can be to open your heart to your own needs.
But the beauty of Anjali Mudra is in its simplicity—it allows you to pause, reflect, and welcome love into your heart, not just as something to give away, but as something you deserve to receive.
4) Heart Chakra (Anahata): Anjali Mudra for compassion and love
The Heart Chakra, located in the center of the chest, governs love, compassion, and relationships.
A balanced heart chakra allows you to give and receive love freely. On the other hand, an imbalanced one can lead to feelings of isolation, jealousy, or emotional pain.
The Anjali Mudra, often used as a gesture of prayer or respect, is closely associated with the heart chakra.
This mudra encourages feelings of love, gratitude, and compassion, helping you open up emotionally and connect with others.
- How to perform it: Bring your palms together in front of your heart, fingers pointing upward. Press your hands lightly together, feeling the connection between the two sides of your body.
Studies have shown that mundras when combined with mindful breathing, can help reduce heart rate and promote emotional stability.
It’s a humbling experience to realize how difficult it can be to open your heart to your own needs.
But the beauty of Anjali Mudra is in its simplicity — it allows you to pause, reflect, and welcome love into your heart, not just as something to give away, but as something you deserve to receive.
5) Throat Chakra (Vishuddha): Shankh Mudra for communication
The Throat Chakra, located in the throat area, governs communication, self-expression, and truth. When this chakra is balanced, you feel comfortable expressing yourself honestly.
When blocked, you might struggle to communicate or fear speaking your truth.
Shankh Mudra, or the “conch shell gesture,” is designed to enhance communication by opening up the throat chakra. It’s particularly useful for improving verbal expression and encouraging honest dialogue.
- How to perform it: With your left hand, wrap your fingers around the thumb of your right hand. Extend your left thumb upward, and touch it with the fingers of your right hand, forming a conch shape.
By opening the throat chakra, Shankh Mudra helps you express your thoughts clearly and confidently.
6) Third Eye Chakra (Ajna): Shambhavi Mudra for intuitive clarity
Did you know that the Third Eye Chakra is considered the gateway to your higher consciousness and intuition?
Balancing this chakra allows you to connect with your inner wisdom and perception beyond the physical realm.
A powerful tool for activating the Third Eye is Shambhavi Mudra. It’s a unique hand-eye gesture that helps heighten your intuitive senses.
- How to perform it: Sit comfortably with your spine straight. Without moving your head, focus your gaze on the space between your eyebrows. Keep your eyes relaxed and try to hold this focus for as long as possible without blinking.
Shambhavi Mudra is particularly effective for deepening your meditation practice and enhancing mental clarity. This mudra awakens your intuitive abilities.
Most importantly, it helps you access insights that might otherwise remain hidden in the busyness of everyday life.
Over time, it helps align your inner vision with a greater sense of awareness.
7) Crown Chakra (Sahasrara): Kalesvara Mudra for spiritual insight
Let’s finish with one interesting fact about the final chakra, the Crown Chakra is that it’s considered the seat of spiritual enlightenment and universal consciousness.
When this chakra is in balance, you feel connected not only to yourself but to a higher power, giving you a sense of peace and purpose.
Kalesvara Mudra is a subtle but profound way to open and balance the Crown Chakra, making space for deeper spiritual understanding.
- How to perform it: Bring the tips of your middle fingers together, allowing the other fingers to curl inward and touch. Let your thumbs point toward your chest, creating a triangle with your hands. Hold the mudra at your heart while focusing on slow, deep breaths.
Kalesvara Mudra calms the mind, creating a clear channel for spiritual insight. By practicing this mudra, you can tap into a quiet inner space that allows you to connect with higher states of consciousness, aligning your energy with the universal flow.
When the Crown Chakra is balanced, you feel deeply connected to the world around you, experiencing a sense of unity and transcendence beyond the material world.
Final thoughts
All in all, mudras are more than symbolic gestures — they are gateways to balancing the energy flow within your body.
As I’ve experienced in my own practice, incorporating mudras for chakra work can bring a sense of calm, clarity, and emotional balance.
The best part is that this goes beyond the physical practice of yoga or meditation.
To get started, here are a few practical tips you can integrate into your mudra and chakra practice:
- Start with a short daily practice: Spend just 5 minutes focusing on one mudra and its corresponding chakra. Over time, this can deepen your connection and understanding.
- Pair mudras with affirmations: While holding a mudra, repeat an affirmation related to the corresponding chakra (e.g., “I am grounded and safe” for the Root Chakra).
- Use mudras during stress: Notice which chakra feels blocked when you’re stressed. Use the corresponding mudra to help rebalance your energy.
- Combine mudras with breathwork: Enhance your energy flow by pairing mudras with deep, mindful breathing. Target the specific energy center you’re working on.
- Stay consistent: Like any practice, the more you engage with mudras and chakras, the greater the benefits you’ll feel.
By taking these small steps, you’ll be able to tap into the power of mudras and start transforming how you feel — both physically and emotionally.
