Brahma Mudra: the gesture of creation for full breathing

How to do Brahma Mudra

1. Sit upright on the floor or a chair, with your shoulders relaxed.
2. Tuck each thumb into its palm, with the tip near the base of the little finger.
3. Close the other fingers over the thumbs to make two soft fists.
4. Turn the fists palms up and press the flat middle knuckles of both hands lightly together.
5. Rest the joined fists against your navel and breathe slowly and fully: belly first, then ribs, then chest, and out in the same order.
6. Continue for 5–10 minutes, then open the hands, rest them on your thighs and breathe normally.

Brahma mudra is a hand position in which both hands form soft fists with the thumbs tucked inside, the knuckles touch and the joined fists rest at the navel. Yoga teachers use it to guide slow, full breathing into the belly. Here are its benefits, the steps, its meaning, and a note on a different practice with the same name: a neck exercise.

What is Brahma mudra? Meaning

What is a Brahma? In Hindu thought, Brahma is the creator god, one of the three great gods with Vishnu and Shiva. The Brahma and Brahman difference is worth knowing: Brahma is the four-faced creator, while Brahman is the formless reality behind everything. What form does Brahma take? He is shown with four faces looking in four directions. What does Brahma hold? Usually the Vedas, a water pot and a string of beads.

So the Brahma mudra meaning is "gesture of creation". What is the significance of the gesture? The fists hold the thumbs, the fire element, safely inside, and rest at the navel, the body’s centre, where breath and life begin. The meaning of the gesture is simple: gather yourself at the centre and breathe fully. The hands show the mind what to do; that is the power of gesture.

How to do Brahma mudra for breathing

The steps above and the Brahma mudra images at the top of this page show the hand position. If you wonder which mudra is this, with two fists joined at the navel, it is Brahma. Each fist on its own is Adi mudra, the "first gesture".

• Soft fists. Close the fingers without squeezing. The knuckles touch lightly.
• Feel the belly. The fists rest where the belly rises, so you can feel the breath move them forward and back.
• Brahma mudra pranayama. It suits the three-part breath, Dirga Pranayama, and belly breathing.

Brahma mudra time: how long and when

Practise for 5–10 minutes. The traditional time for breathing practice is Brahma muhurta, the quiet hour and a half before sunrise. What is Brahma muhurta? The "time of Brahma", when the mind is said to be fresh; the benefits of waking up in Brahma muhurta are a quiet house and a regular routine. To wake up in Brahma muhurta, go to bed earlier rather than cutting sleep. If early rising is not for you, any quiet time works, and our breathing exercise timer can pace you.

Brahma mudra benefits

• Fuller breathing. Resting the fists on the belly reminds you to breathe low and slow rather than high in the chest.
• Calm. Slow belly breathing can ease stress, which makes it a natural mudra of calmness and a simple mudra for stress relief. For more, see yoga for stress relief.
• Focus before meditation. A few minutes gather scattered attention.

There are no clinical studies on the gesture itself. You may see Brahma mudra benefits for skin or weight loss, or lists calling it a mudra for high blood pressure, bowel movement, stomach problems or pain relief. There is no evidence for those; the breathing is what helps. Keep any treatment you have for high blood pressure, and see yoga for high blood pressure.

Brahma mudra for neck pain and cervical spondylosis

In several hatha yoga schools, the name is used for a slow neck exercise instead, sometimes called a Brahma mudra asana. It turns the head in four directions, like the four faces of Brahma: right, left, up and down, gently and with the breath. Brahma mudra pose benefits for the neck are described as easing stiffness from desk work.

1. Sit tall. Breathe in; as you breathe out, slowly turn your head to the right. Breathe in to return.
2. Repeat to the left.
3. Breathe in and tilt the head back a little; breathe out and lower the chin toward the chest.
4. Do 3–5 slow rounds. Never roll the head in fast circles.

With cervical spondylosis, a recent neck injury, dizziness or vertigo, ask a doctor or physiotherapist first, keep movements small and stop if pain, tingling or dizziness appears. Our yoga for neck pain and cervical spondylosis page gives a safe routine.

Related mudras and their benefits

How to practice mudras: sit well, breathe slowly and keep the fingers soft. Types of mudra in yoga include hand, head and body gestures; mudras in yoga and their benefits differ, and each mudra and its benefits suit a different need. Brahma mudra in dance is different again: classical dancers show Brahma with other hand shapes. There is no one mudra for all problems or best mudra for overall health.

What is Prana mudra? Ring and little fingertips to the thumb; the benefits of Prana mudra are traditionally energy, the usual mudra for an energy boost. The benefits of Chin mudra are grounding, the benefits of Vayu mudra relate to gas, and the benefits of Kubera mudra to goals. If you ask which mudra is best while walking, Gyan mudra is easiest. See an illustrated guide to all hand mudras and their benefits on our mudras chart.

Brahma mudra benefits in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Marathi are the same as in English; the box below explains them in Hindi.

More mudras

Mudras are a traditional practice for focus and relaxation. Research on specific health effects is limited; use them alongside, not instead of, medical care.