Shunya Mudra (Gesture of Space): steps, benefits and how long to hold it

How to do Shunya Mudra

1. Sit upright on the floor or on a chair, and rest your hands on your knees or thighs with the palms facing up.
2. On each hand, fold your middle finger down so its tip rests on the fleshy base of your thumb.
3. Bring your thumb over the middle of the folded finger and press gently, just enough to keep it in place.
4. Keep your index, ring and little fingers straight and relaxed.
5. Close your eyes and breathe slowly for 10–15 minutes, then release the fingers and rest.

Shunya mudra, the gesture of space, is a hand position in which the middle finger folds to the base of the thumb and the thumb holds it down. In yoga and Ayurveda it is the traditional mudra for the ears, for dizziness and for motion sickness. The diagram above shows which finger folds; many shunya mudra images and photos online are hard to read.

What is shunya mudra? Meaning in English

Shunya is Sanskrit for empty, void or space, and mudra means seal or gesture. So shunya mudra in English is the "gesture of space" or "gesture of emptiness". You will also see it spelled shoonya or sunya. In Hindi it is शून्य मुद्रा.

Traditional mudra teaching links each finger to one of the five elements: thumb to fire, index to air, middle to space (akasha), ring to earth and little finger to water. Touching a fingertip to the thumb tip balances an element; folding it under the thumb reduces it. In shunya mudra the space finger is folded and held by fire, so the tradition says it reduces excess space. Ayurveda links space with the ears and hearing, and too much of it with emptiness, dizziness and ringing sounds.

This is a traditional framework, not a proven mechanism. There is almost no clinical research on shunya mudra, so treat the uses below as tradition.

Shunya mudra benefits

Shunya mudra for ear discomfort and tinnitus

Its best-known use is for the ear: a blocked feeling, mild earache or ringing. Many people try shunya mudra for tinnitus. There is no evidence that it changes the ringing itself, but sitting quietly with slow breathing can make tinnitus easier to live with, since stress often makes it feel louder. Any earache with fever, discharge or hearing loss needs a doctor.

Shunya mudra for vertigo and motion sickness

Shunya mudra for vertigo and travel sickness is a common traditional suggestion, and it is easy to hold in a car, bus or plane. Look at the horizon, breathe slowly and keep the fingers in place until the queasy feeling passes. For repeated spinning dizziness, see a doctor: a common cause, BPPV, often responds well to simple head-positioning exercises they can show you.

Shunya mudra for thyroid, weight loss and other claims

Some books list shunya mudra benefits for thyroid problems, weight loss (in Tamil and Hindi books too), hair, skin and reproductive health. There is no evidence for any of these. If you have a thyroid condition, keep taking your medicine and see our yoga for thyroid page; for weight, see yoga for weight loss. For shunya mudra for health in general, think calm breathing, not cure.

How long to do shunya mudra, and how often

How long to do shunya mudra? Hold it for 10–15 minutes at a time. The traditional shunya mudra frequency is two or three times a day while symptoms last, up to about 45 minutes in total, and then stop once the problem eases. Like vayu mudra and surya mudra, it is a "reducing" mudra meant for a specific need, not all-day practice.

Any time of day works. Sit in Sukhasana, Vajrasana or on a chair. The "Start a timer" button above opens our meditation timer so you can keep your eyes closed.

A simple shunya mudra practice

1. Sit tall and form the mudra with both hands.
2. Breathe in for four counts and out for six, for two minutes.
3. Practise five rounds of Bhramari (humming bee breath), listening to the hum inside your head. Skip it if you have an active ear infection.
4. Sit in silence for five minutes, noticing the space around sounds.

This is also a useful mudra to reduce stress and ease a tension headache; for migraine, see yoga for migraine.

Shunya mudra side effects

No serious side effects are known. Pressing too hard can make the thumb ache. Shunya mudra benefits and side effects are both mild; the real risk is delaying a doctor's visit for a hearing problem.

Shunya mudra vs surya mudra and vayu mudra

Three common mudras fold a finger under the thumb, and they are easy to mix up:

So if you are looking up how to do surya mudra, it is the same method with the ring finger. Surya mudra benefits are linked with balanced metabolism rather than the ears. The benefits of vayu mudra centre on gas. Some teachers fold both index and middle fingers together; this is shunya vayu mudra, with benefits described for ears and gas together.

What is a mudra in yoga, and is there one mudra for all problems? A mudra is a gesture held with calm breathing; no single one fixes everything, and there is no best mudra for overall health. For everyday calm, the benefits of gyan mudra suit most people. See all hand mudras and their benefits on our mudras page.

Shunya mudra benefits in English are the same as in Kannada, Telugu, Marathi or Tamil sources; our guided yoga sessions speak all of these languages.

Where this practice is used

Yoga for: Tinnitus · Motion Sickness

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.