The Secret Sustainer

While doing research for my Mudra Therapy course, I examined several hundred mudras from many yoga and spiritual traditions.

I began to appreciate that Kundalini Yoga used several fascinating mudras that I had not been able to find in the conventional literature. Which is not surprising.

Mudras were always considered to be the most secret of the formerly secret teachings of yoga. The old yogic texts warned practitioners to keep their mudras as secret and private as “the secrets that are kept between husband and wife” (ahem) and not reveal them (mudras, not marital confidences) to anyone else.

Doubtless, there are dozens – hundreds? – of mudras we still do not know but here is one fairly unknown mudra that I am happy to share in its secret.

It is called Narayan Mudra, after one of the incarnations of Vishnu, the sustainer of the universe. Narayan refers to this sustaining energy when it is expressed through the element of water, so it is not surprising that the mudra is formed as if you were drinking water from the cup of your hands.

The sides of the hands touch completely from the base of the palms to the tops of the little fingers. The hands are slightly cupped as if you could drink from them.

The index finger of each hand touches the thumb tip, forming Gyan Mudra, the expression of wisdom.

The index finger represents Jupiter, the energy of higher knowledge and prosperity, while the sides of the little fingers represent Mercury, the discerning intelligence of the mind. Finally, the sides of the palms connect to the Moon mounds, so we have a mudra that integrates the intuition of the Moon with the discernment of Mercury and that is expanded through the dharmic knowledge of Jupiter.

Holding this mudra in a receptive way before the heart allows the hands to be filled with this energy to bring us the prosperity that occurs when our intuition and intelligence join together at the heart center.

Simply hold this mudra, breathe long and completely, and feel your hands feeling up as if water was continually pouring to them. It creates balance, receptivity, and contentment.

And if you want to add a mantra, out loud or silently with this mudra, what could be better than the Narayan Mantra?