Sun is the source of sustainable energy for every living creature on earth. In yoga, there are several ways to redirects the energy of the sun within the body for different purposes. Surya mudra is one of the easiest methods of redirecting sun energy.
All mudras in yoga have their benefits in which some help in healing and some helps in treating the health issues.
Surya Mudra is best known as “weight loss mudra” as practicing it daily can enhance the functioning of the abdominal organs.
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Meaning of Surya Mudra
Sanskrit word “Surya” means sun and here “mudra” means hand gesture. Hence, Surya mudra is basically finger arrangement (gesture) that represents energy our body gain through sunlight.
The energy of the sun also represents with Fire element of the body. Sanskrit term for fire is ‘Agni‘, therefore Surya mudra also known as Agni mudra.
To make an optimum balance among 5 elements of the body, Surya Mudra eliminates the earth element and increases the fire element. therefore, Surya Mudra is also known as Agni vardhak (fire increaser) mudra.
Surya Mudra: The Gesture of Fire
Sun produces fire & disseminates heat energy to all living and non-living matter present on earth in the form of heat. This is the sun only that is responsible for energy of the fire element present within us.
Many people wonder what we can do with an increased element of fire in the body, don’t you?
Fire is an essential element when it comes to intense yoga sadhana (yogic discipline). It works like a catalyzer which boosts your willpower against the vigorous yoga practices.
In yoga, the fire element is the synonym of Tapas (one of 3rd Niayamas). Tapas is the quality of a person to be self-disciplined. It can channelize or boost your inner body strength quickly.
Who Should Especially Practice Surya or Agni Mudra?
- People having a desk job or who used to sit for long hours generally troubled with overweight. Surya mudra maintains excessive fat of belly & relieve from overweight problems.
- Those people who have laziness in their behavior or feel powerless even after a small work, must adopt Surya mudra.
- Persons with weak eyesight can also adopt Surya mudra to increase the fire element of the body, as with fire (light) element vision comes.
How to Do Surya Mudra
Bend your ring finger in such a way that ring finger’s tip exactly touches the base of the thumb (at the third line of your thumb). At this point, simultaneously, press the second phalanx of the ring finger with the tip of the thumb.
Rest three fingers of the hand are lightly stretched and straight throughout the whole practice.
You may find it difficult for finger’s correct placement, so while doing with one hand, take the help of another hand to get the right placement of fingers.
You can follow the following steps to include agni mudra in your yoga session.
Surya Mudra Steps
- Sit in a comfortable yogasana on a mat, not directly on the floor. You can either try to sit in the half-lotus posture or full lotus posture (Padmasana).
(Even you can perform Surya Mudra by standing. However, it is essential to make sure you are sitting or standing comfortably for at least 15 minutes.) - Now arrange the finger in the same way as described above.
Bend the ring fingers of your both hands in such a way that tips of the finger touch the base of your thumb and thumb pressing the top of the second phalanx (of the ring finger). - Arrange another hand fingers in the same manner.
- After aligning the body & hand comfortably, hold your hands over the kneecap.
- While pressing down the ring fingers, make sure that other fingers are lightly stretched.
You can also imbibe the practice of Surya mudra with the Pranayama practice.
Preparatory Hand Gesture
For better results, begin the practice of Surya mudra with these preparatory mudras:
- Anjali Mudra: Join your palms together in Namaste. Here is the correct way to do it.
Before performing Surya mudra, this mudra prepares your mind to concentrate at one point for Surya Mudra. - Adi Mudra: For soothing effect in our body, practice adi mudra before Surya mudra.
Follow Up Hand Gesture
End your Surya mudra practice with following hand gestures:
- Varun Mudra: If anyhow an excess amount of heat has produced in the body by the surya mudra, then to neutralize this overheat we can perform varun mudra. Where surya means hot, varun symbolize water or cool energy.
Here are the steps of varun mudra - Prana Mudra: To lower the effect of excess heat produced after Surya mudra, perform prana mudra to stimulate the flow of prana.
- Gyan Mudra: It’s always advised to end a yogic practice by bringing hands in Gyan mudra.
Ideal Time & Duration
Morning & evening session when the external heat has minimum effect on the body, ideal time to practice Surya mudra. You can also do it other times but as we already described, it may results in excessive heat production in the body.
Make sure to maintain a gap of 2 hours between practice of Surya mudra & a heavy meal. A heavy meal is avoid for the same reason as it produces heat in the body plus Surya mudra, it may results in excessive heat production in the body.
To see results from Surya mudra in minimum time, it should be practice for at least 45 minutes a day. If you are not able to hold finger in same position for 45 minutes, you can practice it 3 times a day (having 15 minutes session each).
How Does Surya Mudra Work
Thumb represents the fire element and the ring finger represents the earth element.
When you hold the ring finger & thumb in the Surya mudra arrangement, then the fire element (thumb) of the body dominates over the earth element (ring finger).
Hence, this placement of fingers increases heat & energy in the body and simultaneously suppresses the earth element.
Surya Mudra Benefits
- Surya Mudra’s quality of increasing the fire element and decreasing the earth element helps in maintaining the metabolism of the body.
- As Surya mudra increases body temperature, it relieves from the problem caused by cold weather like Dry skin, Sore throat, Painful joints & Flu.
- A person suffering from the loss of appetite (Anorexia) can practice Surya mudra to bring the body’s hunger back on the track.
- An imbalance in Pitta humor can disturb the digestion process which results in various diseases of the abdomen. If you want to cure the deficiency of pita humor, then practicing Surya Mudra is highly beneficial.
- Reduces Cholesterol – This mudra works for removing extra cholesterol accumulated in the blood vessels and hence reduces the risk of heart attacks and indirectly helps in curing diabetes also.
- Tackle coldness of limbs – Surya mudra helps in problems like shivering, cold, coldness of body parts.
1. Surya Mudra for Weight Loss
According to a report from cdc.gov [efn_note] Attempts to Lose Weight Among Adults in the United States, 2013–2016 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db313.pdf [/efn_note] half of Americans are trying to lose weight. In this chaos, Surya mudra is one of the easiest methods to lose weight.
Surya mudra helps in weight loss in the following way:
- Indigestion and sleep disorders are the most common cause of excessive weight. Surya mudra balances digestion problems (by stimulating fire element) & sleep disorders by bringing down the earth element present in the ring finger.
- Another cause of excessive weight is the accumulation of wastes in the body. Surya mudra regulates the ‘Apana Vayu – downward-moving energy’ (one of 5 Pranas) efficiently which helps to detoxify the body. Hence, it’s helpful in weight loss.
Surya mudra is also practiced to reduce the extra fat deposited in a female body post-delivery.
2. Surya Mudra for Thyroid
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland present in the front low neck. It’s mainly known for the secretion of different hormones that are responsible for metabolism, development of the brain (in adolescents), and body temperature.
- The fire element, which plays key role in Surya mudra practice is considered the stimulator of the metabolic functioning of the thyroid gland [efn_note] A clinical study to evaluate the role of Triphaladya Guggulu along with Punarnavadi Kashaya in the management of hypothyroidism http://www.ayujournal.org/ [/efn_note].
- In the neck region of the body (where thyroid gland lies) space element present that is responsible for hormonal imbalance. Surya mudra also balances the space element present in the neck which makes it effective practice for thyroid.
3. Surya Mudra for Digestion
The digestion process that takes place in the liver has heat is an essential part. In fact, heat quickens the chemical process of producing enzymes to digest any food particle [efn_note] Rate of digestion https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1834-rate-of-digestion [/efn_note].
We know it very well, Surya mudra has the efficiency to produce heat in the body by stimulating the fire element present in the thumb.
Thus in nutshell, Surya mudra is a panacea for diseases related to indigestion like constipation, ulcers, gastroparesis, etc.
4. Surya Mudra for Eyes
The element of fire and visual cortex present in our eyes has a special kind of relationship. It’s the fire element only that lights up our perception of seeing an object.
There are 5 kinds of fire mentioned in Ayurveda [efn_note] The Five Elements: Fire in Ayurveda https://www.ayurvedacollege.com/Ayurveda/five-elements-fire-ayurveda [/efn_note], among which, fire for vision is called alocaka agni. Surya mudra also works on alocaka agni that helps in improving the blur vision of eyes.
Especially people who are suffering from leucoma (a disorder related to eyes and vision) can practice Surya mudra to get beneficial results out of it.
Although, yogic practices haven’t any side effects, but precautions must be taken in order to avoid any side effects cause of incorrect or excessive practice.
Precautions
- Surya mudra could have an adverse effect when practiced during fever. As this mudra heats up the body, it’s not suggested to practice it during fever.
- Make sure to practice this mudra in open space during summers to avoid excessive accumulation of heat in the body.
- Drink a glass of water before practicing the mudra as it is a powerful mudra and may cause dehydration if practiced for a long time.
- Underweight people should not practice Surya mudra for a longer period (45 minutes) as it may further reduce the weight.
Conclusive Words
Mudras in yoga are the simplest kind of exercises that works on the body as well as complex functions of the mind.
To produce heat in the body, stimulating the fire element present in the thumb (through Surya mudra) could work great.
Have you practiced this amazing mudra? Let me know in the comment section below how the practice of Surya mudra has benefited you. Namaste 🙂
Dear Author, much appreciated. How should one Breathe during Surya Mudra to generate more heat? Should there be pauses and breath holding after inhale etc? Very comprehensive article.
There are some breathing exercises you can incorporate with surya mudra to generate more heat. One such you can try is Breath of fire.
In general, fast breathing is considered good to build up heat. But in the perspective of meditative purpose, while doing a mudra, short pauses after inhale are good for internal heat generation.
Hiiii. Thank you for the post. Can Surya Mudra be done during periods?
Yes, it can be done but do minimize your mudra holding time when you’re practising it during periods. Because long holding it may produce excess heat in the body which nobody wants during that time.
does surya mudra causes hair loss as it removes all earth elements in our body ( in prithvi mudra they said earth elements will increase and helps to grow hair )
Depending upon your body Prakriti, yes, Surya mudra may cause hair fall. For example, if you have imbalanced Kapha dosha (which is responsible for hair fall), you already are earth element deficient. In such a case, if you want to perform Surya mudra, always follow up its practice with Prithvi Mudra.
i have hair fall and i am 15kgs above on my BMI what i should do exactly to get both benefits like reducing weight and growing hair
Prithvi Mudra is a good option for hair growth. For weight loss, however, rather than Surya mudra, you can do Linga Mudra.
Hello, can we do this surya mudra during pregnancy??
During the first trimester, Surya Mudra can be performed moderately but it should not be practiced in later months (near due date) as the body temperature is already very high and this mudra can further increase the body temperature.
Hi
I have serious hair problem more than 60% of hair already fallen, now i have eye problem which is – 0.5(long vision). Can i able to regrow my hair and cure the i problem. Which mudra should i do?
Please suggest me
Regards.
One should not practice Surya mudra at all in pregnancy because it increases the Fire elements in body very fast and that can dry the foetus inside the womb and that can be dangerous to child. That why we avoid any food that is hot in constituents during pregnancy like Papaya, etc . In Pregnancy you should also avoid Apana Mudra and Apana Vayu Mudra except in last 30 days of pregnancy where you should start doing Apana mudra for 10 to 20 minutes for normal delivery of child. You should do Gyan mudra, Prithvi mudra and Pran mudra during Pregnancy and it will have wonderful effect on your health and your child’s health.
Had a stiff lower back. Surya mudra was suggested on a site and it gave me immense relief. Nowhere is back pain mentioned for surya mudra. What could my problem have been?
As Surya Mudra has relieved your back pain, it may possibly be due to cold which is a quality of Vata dosha and is responsible for lower back pain (most of the time). Surya mudra by enhancing the fire element or deficiency of pitta dosha removes the coldness from the body which causes pain in bones.
Felicidades, es un articulo muy completo.
Agradezco que la difusión de esta información me llegue justo cuando empiezo a praticar yoga Kundalini.
Sat Nam
Hello, what if we do Surya mudra for more than 45 mins? I had high blood pressure and docs suggested me to reduce weight so I started doing it but I did it more than 45 mins and at night I was very much uncomfortable had breathing problems and I guess my bp was also high as I was feeling nervous .. so just wanted to know .. whether it is safe or not ..?
Are you doing continuously for more than 45 min? Overdoing of it could be a cause you’re feeling uncomfortable.
Nope, It happened only last evening that I did it for more than 45 mins .. the rest of the days I do for 30 or 45 mins. I have gone through all the details of Surya mudra.. and following it like ring finger point on the third line of the thumb… drink water before doing this mudra. I do it either in the morning or evening but my only concern is that can I do it at home without any mentor?
Yes, you can do it without any mentor at home. There isn’t any problem with the way you’re doing it.
However, If you’re feeling uncomfortable after doing it for a longer duration, break your 30 to 45 min time into 2 schedules. One in the morning and 1 in the evening (15 min both time). In this way, you will get its benefits without any side-effects.
Still if happens, then to neutralize the effect of Surya mudra, you can try cooling breath or Gyan mudra for quick relaxation.
Thank u so much. I actually wanted to do this but I was hell scared coz few people discouraged me saying it can affect mind .. one will have hemorrhage.. don’t do without a mentor, etc, etc.. but now will do with a sigh of relief.🙏 Thanks a ton.
Dude I have been working on surya mudra for just last 3 days and today I got some lesions on my skin due to overheat in body…!! 🙃🙁
But the way it’s generating heat is amazing and I’m feeling that warm thing inside my chest from the first time I tried this. Absolutely amazing but I kinda got a bad start 😅. Even tho I’ll try to make it work cuz just for that feeling of ecstatic fire in my heart ❤.
Srinivas thank you for sharing your amazing experience with us. You should always end up the practice of surya mudra with some counter mudras to neutralize overheat. Please check the follow-up mudras section we covered in the article – Here. Or simply follow up mudras of surya mudra are: Varun mudra, Prana mudra, Gyan mudra
Does the practice of Surya mudra cause severe headaches mainly on the backside of the head and neck portion? what is the ideal duration of time to practice this mudra? does it really help in curing diabetes? As I have been practicing 15 minutes at a stretch 3 times a day but I DO NOT appear to have reduced my sugar levels. as suggested I practice the Gyan mudra and prana mudra after Surya mudra to reap the benefits. how much gap is to be there between one mudra and another mudra.
Hello Komatreddy, If you’re feeling some specific issues like a severe headache in backside of head and neck portion after doing surya mudra, please consult an expert yoga therapist. We can’t say anything about this before proper consultation.
You already following ideal duration to practice it, if it’s 3 times a day * 15 minutes each time. However, ideal time for Surya mudra is when surrounding temperature is at its minimum like in the morning before sunrise & evening. It’ll compensate for the effect of excess heat produced in body through mudra.
Mudras are the great healer but it works only if you’re practicing in the long run. So keep patience & practice, then you’ll definitely see the results.
You can gap a minute or two in between the practice of the consecutive mudras.
I AM PRACTICING SRYA MUDRA SINCE LAST 2 MONTHS. OF LATE IAM GETTING SLIGHT PAIN IN MY ABDOMEN. IS IT DUE TO PRACTICE OF MUDRA.
Hello Komatreddy, We appreciate your query. In some cases, Surya mudra can over-stimulate the mechanism of the abdominal organ that might be manifest as stomach pain, however, it can’t be the only reason for it. To prevent this, you can reduce your Surya mudra practice time a little & practice some counter mudras like Gyan mudra & prana mudra after it.