Surya mudra (also known as Agni mudra) is a powerful mudra (symbolic gesture) that ignites our inner fire, referred to as ‘Agni’ in yoga and Ayurveda.
A healthy Agni is vital for optimal health and wellbeing.
Agni represents the fire element which not only governs the digestion of our food but also extends to psychological and emotional digestion – how well we process the experiences of life.
Take a moment to reflect on the following questions
Do you regularly experience low mood and/or lethargy?
Do you find it difficult to move past set backs and disappointments without holding onto anger or resentment?
Do you have a tendency to avoid facing ‘difficult’ emotions? (Clue: you likely distract or numb yourself with comfort eating, TV, social media, shopping or being busy or by deflecting attention towards others’ problems).
If you answered “Yes” to any of the above, you are likely to benefit from practices that ignite Agni and stimulate your internal fire.
Fire is the force of transformation – without it there is no catalyst for change.
The fire element supports in metabolising our food, enabling our bodies to assimilate the nutrients from our food to nourish our bodies. Similarly, the fire element supports healthy psychological and emotional digestion helps us to process the experiences of life in healthy ways supporting us to move beyond limiting or harmful thought and behaviour patterns.
Surya Mudra Benefits:
Increases heat in the body which aids proper digestion (physical & emotional)
Aids weight loss
Enhances the strength of the body
Reduces heaviness and lethargy associated with an excess of earth and water elements.
Helpful for combating low mood and depression naturally (due to suppressing the effect of excessive Earth element on the mind- body system).
Practice Note:
Place the tip of the folded ring finger at the base of the thumb and press it. Now, place the thumb across the folded ring finger. The other fingers are extended outwards.
Surya mudra can be practiced for 15-30 minutes – although it is not advisable to practice Surya mudra for a long time during hot periods as it can generate excess heat in the body.