Also called: mritsanjeevani mudra, hridaya mudra, heart mudra.
How to do Apana Vayu Mudra
- Sit upright on the floor or on a chair and rest your hands on your knees or thighs, palms facing up.
- On each hand, fold your index finger so that its tip rests on the fleshy base of your thumb.
- Bend your middle and ring fingers and touch their tips to the tip of your thumb. The thumb rests lightly over the folded index finger.
- Keep your little finger straight and relaxed.
- Breathe slowly and evenly through your nose, making each out-breath a little longer than the in-breath, for 10–15 minutes.
- Release the fingers gently and rest your hands in your lap before you get up.
Traditional benefits
- Traditionally used for a calm, settled feeling in the chest and heart area
- Traditionally used for palpitations caused by stress or anxiety (after a doctor has checked your heart)
- Traditionally used for gas, bloating and acidity, as it combines the air-reducing vayu mudra with apana mudra
- Traditionally used as part of relaxation practice alongside treatment for high blood pressure
- Traditionally used to balance apana vayu, the downward-moving energy in yoga
Keep in mind
- Chest pain, pressure, breathlessness or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back can be a heart attack: call your emergency number at once. Do not rely on a mudra.
- Apana vayu mudra does not replace heart, blood pressure or diabetes medicine. Never stop prescribed treatment.
- Palpitations should be checked by a doctor before you treat them as stress.
- Keep the fold gentle if your finger joints are stiff or painful.
Apana vayu mudra is a hand gesture that combines two simpler mudras: the index finger folds to the base of the thumb (as in vayu mudra) while the middle and ring fingertips meet the thumb tip (as in apana mudra). It is known as the heart mudra, Mritsanjeevani mudra and the "life saving mudra". Most apana vayu mudra images and pictures online hide the folded index finger; the diagram above shows it, so check your hand against it before reading about the benefits.
What is apana vayu? Meaning of the name
Yoga describes life energy (prana) as five vayus, or winds. Apana vayu is the downward and outward-moving wind in the lower belly and pelvis, linked with elimination. Vayu also means the air element. So the name joins the "apana" gesture with the "vayu" gesture.
The other name, Mritsanjeevani, comes from mrit (dead) and sanjeevani, the reviving herb from the Ramayana. That is where "life saving mudra apana vayu" comes from: older mudra books claimed it could help during a heart attack.
There is no evidence that any mudra can stop a heart attack. If you or someone near you has chest pain, pressure, breathlessness, sweating or pain spreading to the arm or jaw, call your emergency number immediately.
How does apana vayu mudra work?
In traditional tattva theory the thumb stands for fire, the index finger for air, the middle for space and the ring finger for earth. Folding the index finger under the thumb is said to reduce excess air, which Ayurveda links with restlessness, gas and irregular heartbeat. Joining middle and ring to the thumb supports the downward flow of apana.
That is tradition, not physiology. Research on this mudra is almost non-existent. What is well established is that slow breathing with a long out-breath calms the nervous system and can slow the heart rate, and the mudra gives that breathing a focus.
Apana vayu mudra benefits
Apana vayu mudra for the heart
The main traditional use is for the heart area: a racing or fluttering heart from stress, tightness in the chest from anxiety, and general heart health. Used with slow breathing, it can help you feel calmer. It does not treat heart disease. See our yoga for heart health and yoga for anxiety pages.
Apana vayu mudra for acidity and gas
Because it includes vayu mudra, the benefits of vayu mudra for gas and bloating are said to carry over. Many people use apana vayu mudra for acidity after meals, sitting upright rather than lying down. See yoga for acidity for poses that help.
Blood pressure, diabetes and weight loss
Mudra books list it as a mudra to reduce blood pressure, improve blood circulation and help diabetes, and some promise apana vayu mudra benefits for female weight loss. There is no evidence for fat loss or for lowering blood sugar through a hand position. Slow breathing may help reduce blood pressure a little, so it can sit alongside treatment; read yoga for high blood pressure. Claims of apana vayu mudra benefits for skin have no evidence either.
Apana vayu mudra benefits for male and female practitioners are the same. Apana vayu mudra spiritual benefits are described as a quiet, open feeling in the chest.
How long to do apana vayu mudra
Hold it for 10–15 minutes, once or twice a day; up to 45 minutes daily is the traditional limit. Morning and evening are the usual times. Sit in Sukhasana or on a chair with your back upright.
Pair it with Bhramari (humming breath) or slow breathing without breath holds; if you have heart disease, avoid holding your breath. Use the "Start a timer" button above to open our meditation timer.
How to control or increase apana vayu
In yoga, a weak apana is linked with constipation and heaviness, and a disturbed one with gas and restlessness. To support it, teachers suggest regular meals, walking, squatting in Garland pose, Wind-relieving pose and gentle root lock (see bandhas). To calm an excess, slow down: warm food, a steady routine and long out-breaths.
Apana vayu mudra vs apana mudra
In apana mudra the index finger stays straight and the aim is digestion and elimination; tradition also uses it for detoxification. In apana vayu mudra the index finger folds to the base of the thumb, adding the calming of air, and the aim moves up to the heart and chest. Middle and ring fingers meet the thumb tip in both.
Apana vayu mudra side effects
No harmful effects are known. The real risk is delay: using a mudra instead of calling for help, or instead of taking medicine. Apana vayu mudra benefits and side effects are both mild; the cautions above matter more.
Whether you search for apan vayu mudra benefits in Marathi or apana vayu mudra benefits in English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or Malayalam, the practice and the cautions are the same. There is no one mudra for all problems and no single best mudra for overall health. For the benefits of gyan mudra (calm focus) or the benefits of prana mudra (energy), see gyan mudra and prana mudra, or all hand mudras on our mudras page.
अपान वायु मुद्रा (Apan Vayu Mudra) — हिंदी में: तर्जनी उंगली को मोड़कर अंगूठे की जड़ पर रखें। मध्यमा और अनामिका के सिरों को अंगूठे के सिरे से मिलाएँ, छोटी उंगली सीधी रखें। 10–15 मिनट धीरे-धीरे साँस लें। इसे "हृदय मुद्रा" या "मृतसंजीवनी मुद्रा" कहते हैं और पारंपरिक रूप से घबराहट, गैस और एसिडिटी में उपयोग करते हैं। सीने में दर्द हो तो तुरंत डॉक्टर या एम्बुलेंस बुलाएँ; दवा बंद न करें।
Where this practice is used
Chakras: Anahata (Heart Chakra)
Yoga for: Back Pain · Grief and Loss · Gas and Bloating
More mudras
Frequently asked questions
What is apana vayu mudra?
It is a hand gesture in which the index finger folds to the base of the thumb and the middle and ring fingertips touch the thumb tip, with the little finger straight. It is traditionally called the heart mudra.
How do I do apan vayu mudra?
Fold your index finger to the base of your thumb, join your middle and ring fingertips to the thumb tip, keep the little finger straight, and breathe slowly for 10–15 minutes.
Why is it called the life saving mudra?
Its Sanskrit name Mritsanjeevani refers to a reviving herb from the Ramayana. The claim that it helps in a heart attack is not supported by evidence; chest pain needs emergency care.
How long should I do apana vayu mudra?
Hold it for 10–15 minutes once or twice a day, up to about 45 minutes a day in total.
What are apan vayu mudra benefits in Hindi (ke fayde) for female and male practitioners?
The same for everyone: traditionally it calms the heart area and eases stress-related palpitations, gas and acidity. The Hindi box above covers apana vayu mudra benefits in Hindi; it never replaces medicine.
Does apana vayu mudra help with weight loss?
No. There is no evidence that a mudra burns fat. For weight, regular movement and diet matter; the mudra only supports relaxation.
Is apana vayu mudra the same as apana mudra?
No. In apana mudra the index finger stays straight; in apana vayu mudra it folds to the base of the thumb.
Mudras are a traditional practice for focus and relaxation. Research on specific health effects is limited; use them alongside, not instead of, medical care.