How to do Anjali Mudra
- Stand in Mountain pose or sit tall, with your shoulders relaxed.
- Bring your palms together in front of the centre of your chest, fingers pointing up.
- Let the thumbs rest lightly against your breastbone and leave a small hollow between the palms, like a closed flower bud.
- Press the palms together evenly with gentle pressure, elbows soft and slightly out to the sides.
- Lower your chin a little, close your eyes and take 3–10 slow breaths, or hold for a few minutes as a short meditation.
Traditional benefits
- Traditionally used to begin and end a practice with a moment of focus
- Traditionally used to express respect, greeting and gratitude
- Traditionally used to bring the two sides of the body, and the mind, to the centre
- Gently stretches the fingers and the wrists and works the chest muscles as the palms press
- A quick way to pause and slow the breath before a demanding task
Keep in mind
- With wrist pain or carpal tunnel syndrome, press very lightly or rest the fingertips together instead
- The reverse (behind the back) version needs open shoulders; skip it with a shoulder injury or use the forearm-clasp variation
- Raised above the head, lower the arms if your shoulders ache or you feel light-headed
The Anjali mudra meaning is "gesture of offering": you press your palms together in front of your heart, the same hand gesture people use when they say namaste. In yoga it opens and closes practice and appears in Surya Namaskar and many standing poses. This page explains what the gesture represents, how to do it well, its variations and its benefits.
Anjali mudra meaning and symbolism
In Sanskrit anjali means "offering" or "two hands held together in honour". In English Anjali mudra is often called the prayer gesture or the namaste gesture. Say it UN-juh-lee MOO-druh; that is the usual Anjali mudra pronunciation.
What does Anjali mudra represent? The two palms stand for two sides of yourself, right and left, active and receptive, joined at the heart. The symbolism also includes humility: bowing the head over joined hands says "I honour you". That is the Anjali mudra significance in yoga, in Hindu worship and in everyday greetings.
Anjali mudra and Namaskar mudra are two names for the same gesture, so if you ask what is a namaskar gesture, this is it.
In Hindi the Anjali mudra meaning is अंजलि मुद्रा, "the gesture of offering"; if someone asks Anjali mudra kya hai, it is the namaste hand position.
Namaste: meaning and gesture
Namaste is a greeting used across India and Nepal. The literal translation of namaste is "I bow to you", from namah (bow) and te (to you). You write namaste in Hindi as नमस्ते, and you say it nuh-muh-STAY. How do you answer namaste? Simply join your hands and say namaste back. Many yoga teachers close class with namaste as a way of saying thank you, although namaste and thank you are not the same words.
Anjali mudra in Buddhism and Bharatanatyam
In Buddhism, the Anjali mudra meaning is reverence. Buddha statues rarely show Anjali mudra, but followers and bodhisattvas often do, and in Japan the same joined palms are called gassho. In Bharatanatyam, Anjali hasta mudra is one of the joined-hand gestures: dancers raise it above the head to greet the gods, hold it before the face for teachers and at the chest for everyone else.
How to do Anjali mudra correctly
The steps above take less than a minute. For good Anjali mudra technique:
- Even pressure. Press the heels of the hands, the palms and the fingers together equally, so neither hand pushes the other.
- A hollow centre. A little space between the palms keeps the hands soft.
- Shoulders down. Let the elbows drop so the neck stays long.
- Posture first. Stand in Mountain pose or sit upright. In yoga, the pose with Anjali mudra at the chest is called Prayer pose (Pranamasana).
Anjali mudra variations
Most Anjali mudra images show the hands at the chest, but the gesture moves with you:
- Anjali mudra at the third eye: bring the thumbs to the point between the eyebrows, a gesture of deep respect and a way to turn attention inward.
- Above the head: reach the joined palms overhead, as in Tree pose and the raised-arms step of Surya Namaskar.
- Anjali mudra behind the back: reverse prayer, with the palms joined between the shoulder blades, fingers pointing up. It is used in Pyramid pose. If your shoulders are tight, hold opposite elbows instead.
- Seated for meditation: as a short Anjali mudra meditation, sit and hold it at the chest for 3–5 minutes. Set the meditation timer and simply follow your breath.
Some books call the kneeling or seated form "Anjali mudrasana", but the hands are the same in every Anjali mudra yoga pose.
Anjali mudra benefits (Anjali mudra ke fayde)
The main Anjali mudra benefits are mental: a clear start and end to practice, a moment of calm and a feeling of gratitude. Physically, pressing the palms works the chest and arm muscles a little and stretches the fingers and wrists. The Anjali mudra spiritual benefits are described as humility, connection and balance. These are traditional and personal effects; no study has tested the gesture on its own, and it is not a mudra for heart health, blood pressure or any heart problem in the medical sense. There is no one mudra for all problems and no best mudra for overall health.
Related mudras
If Anjali mudra is your opening, Gyan mudra often follows for the seated part of practice; the benefits of Gyan mudra are described as calm focus. The benefits of Yoni mudra, another two-handed gesture, centre on inward attention. See each mudra and its benefits on the mudras chart, with all hand mudras and their benefits in one place.
अंजलि मुद्रा (Anjali Mudra) — हिंदी में: सीधे खड़े हों या बैठें और दोनों हथेलियों को छाती के बीच में जोड़ें, उंगलियाँ ऊपर की ओर। अंगूठे हल्के से छाती को छुएँ और सिर थोड़ा झुकाएँ। 3 से 10 धीमी साँसें लें। यही नमस्ते की मुद्रा है। अंजलि मुद्रा के फायदे: मन शांत होता है, अभ्यास की शुरुआत में ध्यान केंद्रित होता है और कृतज्ञता का भाव आता है। कलाई में दर्द हो तो हल्का दबाव रखें।
More mudras
Frequently asked questions
What is Anjali mudra?
Anjali mudra is the gesture of pressing the palms together in front of the heart, often with a small bow. It is the hand position of namaste and is used to begin and end yoga practice.
What does Anjali mudra represent?
It represents offering, respect and balance: the two hands, or two sides of yourself, meeting at the heart. With a bow it means "I honour you".
What are the Anjali mudra benefits?
Traditionally it centres the mind, expresses gratitude and marks a calm start to practice. Physically it stretches the fingers and wrists and gently works the chest.
What is the literal translation of namaste?
Namaste means "I bow to you": namah is a bow or salutation and te means "to you".
Is Anjali mudra the same as Namaskar mudra?
Yes. Anjali mudra, Namaskar mudra and the namaste gesture all describe the palms pressed together at the chest.
How long should I hold Anjali mudra?
In a pose or greeting, a few breaths is enough. As a meditation, hold it for 3–5 minutes with your eyes closed.
Are Anjali mudra benefits in Hindi and Tamil sources the same?
Yes. The Anjali mudra benefits in Hindi, Tamil and English sources describe the same gesture and the same effects. This page includes a short Hindi summary.
Mudras are a traditional practice for focus and relaxation. Research on specific health effects is limited; use them alongside, not instead of, medical care.