Mudra

The Sanskrit mudrā means "seal," "mark" or "gesture." The sense of sealing is telling: a mudrā closes a circuit or fixes an intention, whether through the hands, the face, or the whole body. The word thus spans both a simple hand-position and a fuller, more demanding yogic technique.

In common use a mudrā is a hand gesture — such as joining thumb and forefinger — used in meditation, ritual and sacred imagery. In haṭha yoga, though, the term is broader: it names whole-body "seals" that combine posture, breath and bandha to contain and direct prāṇa within the practitioner.

The Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā gives mudrās special prominence, describing a set of twenty-five, while the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā details ten, among them mahā mudrā and viparīta karaṇī. In these texts mudrās are treated as powerful seals for prāṇa, taught once the practitioner is grounded in posture and breath.

In practice you may meet mudrā at either scale. A simple hand seal can steady attention in meditation and mark an intention; the fuller haṭha mudrās are more demanding, integrating lock and breath. Both share the idea of sealing and gathering, so that energy is contained rather than dispersed outward.

A hand mudrā is a supportive focus, not a mechanism with guaranteed effects, and claims of specific physical cures overreach the tradition. The stronger haṭha mudrās, which involve breath retention and locks, deserve careful, guided learning. Treat talk of directing prāṇa as a traditional framework rather than physiology or medicine.