And there are literally hundreds of mudras, each with its own unique symbolism and placement of palms and fingertips. Here are seven lesser-known mudras I’ve chosen to give your seven chakras a little boost. You can also incorporate the mantra associated with each chakra to help enhance your meditative experience. Mantra: LAM Bring your palms together in a prayer at your heart, then interlace the pinky and ring fingers so they fold inside of the palms. Extend the middle fingers so the tips touch and then interlace the thumbs and index fingers so they form rings around each other, with the fingertips touching. Optional step: Flip this mudra upside down and lower your arms slightly, so the middle fingers are pointed downward at your pelvic region. Mantra: VAM With your palms in front of your chest, press your pinky and ring fingertips together. Fold your thumbs into your palms, inside of your index and middle finger. You can then press the knuckles of these two fingers together (pictured) or keep them separate. Optional step: Lower the hands to just below the navel. Mantra: RAM Place your palms face-up on your thighs. Touch the tips of the thumbs, index fingers, and ring fingers together, straightening through the pinky and middle fingers. Mantra: YAM With your palms at your heart, touch the outer edges of both pinky fingers and thumbs together. Keep the heels of the palms pressed together as you blossom open through your hands. Extend through the tips of all 10 fingers. Mantra: HAM Interlace your last three fingers (middle, ring, and pinky) together inside of your hands. Interlock the index fingertips and thumbs to form two rings, and hold this mudra in front of the base of your throat. Mantra: AUM Take your right hand just in front of the space between your eyebrows and curl the ring finger into your palm. Bring the tips of the thumb, middle finger, and index finger to touch, and keep the pinky finger extended long. Place the tips of the three fingers that are touching to your third-eye focal point. The left hand can remain on top of the left thigh, palm face-up or in Gyan mudra. Mantra: Silence Place the tips of your index fingers and thumbs together to touch, forming a pyramid shape. Allow the remaining fingers to extend upward, keeping them straight. Raise this mudra to about 6 to 7 inches above the crown of your head.
