Our body comprises 5 elements (air, water, earth, ether/space, and fire), collectively called as Panch-tatva. These elements are present in a limited manner inside us.
But, do you know, there is an element that does not has any limit? That is the space element which is the most dominant among all 5 elements.
Its dominancy does not allow other elements to grow.
Now the question comes, how can we control the growth of this element?
The answer is in our most ancient heritage, Yoga and Mudra.
The growth of space element can be controlled by performing a mudra i.e. The Shunya Mudra.
Table of Contents
Shunya Mudra – Hand Gesture of Emptiness
Shunya mudra, also known as Akash Shamak Mudra, as it decreases (Shamak) space (Akash) element in our body. It is a curative mudra mainly balances the excess of space element in our body.
In Sanskrit, ‘Shunya’ means ’empty’, ‘Zero’ or ‘Void’ and ‘Mudra’ means ‘Seal’ or‘Gesture’. Thus, Shunya mudra is known as The Gesture Of Emptiness.
Why We Call It Shunya Mudra
The word Shunya indicates space (openness). This mudra controls the space element in our body, therefore, it is known as Shunya mudra.
Shunya mudra includes the practice of middle finger which refers to ‘sky‘ or ‘heaven’ therefore it is also called Heaven Mudra.
How to Do Shunya Mudra
Shunya mudra is all about the space element, therefore it includes the movement of the middle finger (associated with the energy of space element) and the thumb (contains the energy of fire element).
To perform this mudra, you need to follow the following steps.
Steps to Perform Shunya Mudra
- Sit comfortably in a meditative asana such as Padmasana (lotus position), Vajrasana (thunderbolt pose), Shukhasana (easy pose).
- Close your eyes and take deep breaths to generate awareness within. You can also perform Shunya mudra with open eyes.
It all depends on your preferences. But doing this mudra with closed eyes helps in better self-consciousness.
Best Finger Arrangement in Shunya Mudra
- Fold the middle finger of both hands and touch them to the base (ball) of the thumb.
- Now, gently press the second phalanx (middle part of a finger) of the middle finger with the thumb.
- Leave other three fingers extended.
- Now, in the same arrangement of hands, place both hands on your knees.
Best Time & Duration to Perform Shunya Mudra
In the morning time, our mind is in the freshest state, regardless of all tensions and stress. Along with this, this time of the day has the least disturbance and noise.
That’s why, for the best results, practise Shunya mudra in the morning time.
Since the Aakash-shamak mudra can be performed with a full belly, hence, you can perform it at any hour of the day.
Practice it 20-30 minutes a day or do it 15-15 minutes thrice. When you get the expected results, decrease practise duration of this mudra.
Precautions to Take While Performing Shunya Mudra
Precautions are always better than a cure. In order to prevent physical or health problems, you need to take some precautions while performing the Shunya mudra.
- Do not press the thumb hard, you will end up hurting yourself.
- If you are feeling very weak, you should not perform Shunya mudra.
- Discontinue this mudra after getting cured from a specific ailment as excessive practice of it can decrease the space element of the body.
How Does Shunya Mudra Work
In Surya Mudra, the middle finger (the energy on space) comes in contact with the thumb (the energy of fire). It stimulates the flow of energy throughout the body.
The contact of fire and space element reduces the space element in the body. This helps to treat the imbalance of this element and treats all related problems
Benefits of Shunya Mudra
Shunya or Aakash shamak mudra is beneficial for spiritual achievements, as well as to cure many physical problems. Here is a list of benefits of this mudra.
Physical Health Benefits
- Relief from a Range of Ear-Related Problems
Listening to loud music & sound pollution decrease our hearing power. Since the space element is mainly responsible for hearing loss, therefore the Shunya mudra is mainly performed to increase hearing power.
Moreover, Shunya mudra helps in the treatment of other ear-related problems such as earache, tinnitus (ringing or buzzing noise in ears), deafness.
- Prevents Motion sickness
This mudra prevents issues like motion sickness & vertigo [efn_note] what is vertigo https://www.emedicinehealth.com/vertigo/article_em.htm#what_is_vertigo [/efn_note]. In motion sickness, our mind cannot distinguish sensory signals over brain signals & this results in dizziness, lightheadedness, or nausea in the body.
Motion sickness & vertigo is mainly caused by inflammation in the inner ear.
By the practice of Shunya mudra, nerves of the ear are directly stimulated. Thus, in such problems, performing Shunya mudra is a very helpful exercise.
- Cures Numbness
Numbness is the situation when you loss partial or complete sense of sensation in certain parts of your body. It happens because of the excessive presence of space element in the blood.
As Shunya mudra decreases the space element within the body, this mudra is very helpful in curing Numbness or Tingling in any part of the body.
- Reduces Thyroid Diseases
Shunya mudra decreases the space element in the body. This decrease in space element helps to form the hormonal balance inside our body which helps to cure abnormal behavior of the Thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
- Prevents Heart Disease
The acupressure point of Atrium (through which blood enters the heart) is near to the base of the thumb. A gentle touch of the middle finger during this mudra creates acupressure on this point.
The acupressure helps in a better performance of Atrium which shows relief from a wide range of heart diseases such as Atrial fibrillation (strokes), ASD (Atrial Septal Defect) & Blood pressure disorders [efn_note] The Effect of Acupressure on Cardiac Rhythm and Heart Rate Among Patients With Atrial Fibrillation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30982782 [/efn_note].
Spiritual Benefits
- Makes Able to Hear Anahata Sounds
Anahata is basically the mystic sounds heard by the Yogi at the beginning of his cycle of meditation. By regular practice of Shunya mudra, you’ll be able to hear Anahata Sounds (or the melody) during your meditation session.
Anahata sound is also called the sound of nature, which is heard in the process of the different paths of yoga. This sound shows that the Nadis or astral currents are getting pure.
- Helps Stimulate the Heart chakra
The base of our thumb has some acupressure points, which helps to clear the way of energy flow to our heart. When the middle finger touches the base of the thumb, this energy flow is redirected to the heart chakra in a better way through nadis.
Thus Shunya mudra helps to stimulate the heart chakra.
Shunya Mudra In Ayurvedic Doshas
Among all three doshas (Pitta, Vatta & Kapha), the space element is only present in Vata Dosha. In the dominant Vata dosha people, the space element in the body gets increased. Shunya mudra helps to balance the space element in the body.
Along with this, the rise of space element does not let any other element (air, water, earth& fire) within the body to increase. This leads to bi-dosha & tri-dosha Prakriti.
Shunya mudra decreases the space element and allows other elements to enter within the body. Thus it helps to cure bi-dosha & tri-dosha Prakriti.
Thus Shunya mudra is helpful to cure Ayurvedic Doshas.
I have a hole in my eardrum. can I practice Shunya Mudra and heal the hole in the eardrum?
Shunya mudra should not be considered a treatment for eardrum holes or other physical conditions. It aids in hearing problems.
The elements are produced by the Space element. How does reducing the space element allow absorption of the other 4 elements?
HI Ashish How come two opposite mudras Akasha and Shunya mudras benefit the same issue .deafness. Are these mudras not contradictory ?
I read your article about Shunya Mudra. It is recommended for Tinnitus. My doubt is whether this mudra will affect the elimination process because for elimination we do Apana mudra where we touch the tip of the Thumb with the Middle finger. And in Shunya Mudra we bend the middle finger. Please guide.
Does this mudra works for noise induced hearing loss and for how long(how many days/weeks) one should perform it? Is there any other mudra to be performed for hearing loss?
Yes, shunya mudra can be done for any type of hearing loss. Based on the severity of your problem, it can be done 3 or 1 time a day, all days of the week. Preferably, do this mudra for 15 minutes in one sitting. Other than Shunya Mudra, you can do Shanmukhi Mudra with Bhramari Pranayama for hearing loss.
thank you for this! I have tinnitus, and will try this mudra, and tell you if it helps. I also appreciate you including these other questions and answers.
Kind regards,
Kelly L
Thank you so much for the insightful post….. I am having a severe allergic cold and my ear keeps getting clogged. I am going to try this out. and will post the benefits. 😍
Hi
Your article was very encouraging. I am suffering from tinnitus as well as partial hearing loss. I am practicing shoonya mudra but I observe it is increasing the ringing even more. Should I continue this or are there any other mudras? Please help.
Radha
Hello, if you feel the increase in ringing sound after practicing Shunya mudra, it could because of increased Vata constitution in your body. You should reduce the time of its practice. Other than shunya mudra, you can try Shanmukhi mudra and bhramari pranayama for this problem.
Thank you so much for the response. Can you please specify in which order I should practice these? Can I practice these mudra while taking medicines too? I am taking homeopathic medicines for the past 3 months, and also have started allopathic medicines since 2 days because the ringing is unbearable.
First practice Shunya mudra for 2 to 3 minutes, then you can practice shambhavi mudra and finally bhramari pranayama, both for 5 minutes duration.
Yes, you can practice it while taking your medicine, there isn’t any harm in it.
Hi Radha
May i know which medicines you are taking? Any side effects
Uday
Hi
I don’t know the names of Homeopathic medicines. But Gabagesic NT 100, Demenzil 5 and Qlino cap are the allopathic medicines which I am taking for the past few days.
Hi
I have also tinitus and i practice anulom vilom pranyama. It has helped me a lot. There was a time , where it was unbearable. but slowly.i notice the sound is getting back again. may be it will help you.
Is it ok to do this if one has Vitamin b12 deficiency? Because it was mentioned to avoid doing this if one is weak.
yes, shunya mudra should be avoided if you having a deficiency of Vitamin b12 because it can create more weakness in the body. In the deficiency of Vitamin b12, you should take care of your immune system and for that, prana mudra is recommended.
Hi Ashish
Thanks for reply. But I am having both, b12 deficiency for which I have taken medicine and also tinnitus and BPPV (vertigo). What could be the best combination of mudras
Uday, for any kind of vitamin deficiency in the body you can practice Prana Mudra. Tinnitus may arise due to an excess of space element. However, Shunya mudra is the best to balance any imbalance in the Space element but as you have b12 deficiency, it can create some weakness. To overcome this weakness, do Gyan mudra along with this.
So the best sequence that can work for you is, first do Prana Mudra then Shunya Mudra and end the session with Gyan Mudra.
What it can reduce or get cure hyperthyroid?
Yes, Shunya mudra can cure hyperthyroid. Any hormone imbalance in the body including thyroid is managed by space element and Shunya mudra is all about balancing this element.
What should be the time gap between each Mudra. How many times does one perform Shunya Mudra for hearing loss. Please advice.
After doing a mudra, take a little gap of 2 minutes before doing another mudra. For better results, mudras are recommended for 45 minutes in one sitting. You can do it 3 times a day.
Should you do this if you have a high BP?
Yes, as described, Shunya mudra is helpful in maintaining high bp. So you can do it.
Jeg cannot sit in the position which is showen in shunya mudra .Is it alright If i sit on a chair to performance of this mudra.
Definitely, if a person isn’t comfortable on sitting posture, then shunya mudra can be performed on sitting a chair.