Anjali Mudra
(Salutation Seal)
 Mudras are hand gestures used in yoga and meditation in order to focus and direct energy. Anjali mudra in Sanskrit means Reverence gesture. It is sometimes referred to as prayer position, and is used often in yoga asana practice. It can also be said to represent dualities, such as male and female.
Anjali mudra is also called Pranamanjali. In India, people are greeted by this mudra signifying grace and reverence. Its a gesture of respect and greeting, in which the two palms are held softly together and slightly cupped. Its often accompanied by the verbal salutation "Namaskar" which means "reverent salutation."
As you bring your hands together at your center, you are literally connecting the right and left hemispheres of your brain.
Anjali mudra is used as a posture of composure, of returning to one`s heart, whether you are greeting someone or saying goodbye, initiating or completing an action. This is the yogic process of unification, the yoking of our active and receptive natures.
In the yogic view of the body, the energetic or spiritual heart is visualized as a lotus at the center of the chest. Anjali mudra nourishes this lotus heart with awareness, gently encouraging it to open.
Asana Technique:
Sit comfortably in Siddhasana or stand in Tadasana.
Inhale and bring your palms together. Rest the thumbs lightly on your sternum.
Press the hands firmly but evenly against each other. Make sure that one hand (usually your right hand if you are right-handed, your left if left-handed) doesn`t dominate the other. If you find such imbalance, release the dominant hand slightly but don`t increase the pressure of the non-dominant hand.
Bow your head slightly, drawing the crease of the neck toward the center of your head.
Lift your sternum into your thumbs and lengthen down along the back of the armpits, making the back elbows heavy.
Practicing Anjali Mudra is an excellent way to induce a meditative state of awareness. Start your practice sitting in meditation in Anjali Mudra for 5 minutes. You can also use this hand position in Tadasana prior to beginning the Sun Salutation sequence, contemplating the "sun" or light of awareness the yogis say is resident in your heart.
Benefits
Reduces stress and anxiety
Calms the brain.
Creates flexibility in the hands, fingers, wrists and arms
Opens the heart.
This gesture is also known as Hrdayanjali Mudra "the Reverence to the Heart Seal", or even "Atmanjali Mudra" Reverence to the Self Seal.
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