Purna Hridaya Mudra - Gesture of the Full Heart

Purna Hridaya Mudra (Gesture of the Full Heart)

Sanskrit Name: Pūrṇa Hridaya Mudrā - पूर्ण हृदय मुद्रा

English Translation: Gesture of the Full Heart

Phonetic Spelling: POOR-nah Hree-DYE-yah Moo-Drah

Purna hridaya mudra, or the gesture of the full heart, symbolizes the abundant and overflowing love that emanates from an open heart. This beautiful and symbolic mudra helps channel feelings of love, connection, and compassion, making it an ideal practice for cultivating emotional balance and spiritual connection.

The gesture creates a symbolic heart with the hands, signifying a full, open heart ready to give and receive love.

By practicing purna hridaya mudra, the practitioner invites feelings of oneness, inner peace, and emotional well-being. This mudra enhances relationships by fostering empathy, compassion, and a deep connection to others.

Instructions to Perform Purna Hridaya Mudra

Sit comfortably in a relaxed posture with your spine straight.

Hand Position: Bring the tips of your thumbs together. Curl your fingers into a ‘C’ shape, allowing the outer edges of your fingers to touch. Hold the mudra in front of your heart or extend it outward toward another person.

Posture: Sit in sukhasana (easy pose). You may also stand in tadasana (mountain pose).

Breathing Technique: Inhale deeply, imagining the love flowing into your heart. Exhale, allowing that love to radiate outward, connecting you to others and the universe.

Duration: Practice this mudra in a moment of overflowing love.

Benefits of Purna Hridaya Mudra

Purna hridaya mudra enhances emotional well-being, fostering love and connection.

Physical Benefits: Relieves tension in the chest.

Mental Benefits: Reduces stress and promotes mental clarity by centering the mind on love and compassion.

Emotional Benefits: Enhances feelings of love, empathy, and emotional balance. Helps cultivate deeper emotional connections with others.

Spiritual Benefits: Opens the heart to love and connection, fostering a sense of unity with others and the divine.

Symbolism and Meaning of Purna Hridaya Mudra

The term purna hridaya means "full heart," symbolizing love, compassion, and the open-heartedness that this mudra embodies. The gesture creates a symbolic heart with the hands, representing the act of both giving and receiving love. This mudra encourages practitioners to express love freely and connect deeply with themselves and others.

Purna hridaya mudra is ideal for fostering deeper relationships, emotional healing, and self-compassion through expression. By practicing this mudra, the practitioner experiences a sense of peace, love, and connection to the world around them.

When to Practice Purna Hridaya Mudra

Purna hridaya mudra is ideal for times when you feel the need to reconnect with your heart or strengthen your relationships with others. Practice this mudra during meditation or in moments of overwhelming love.

A duration of any amount of time is recommended as this mudra comes from overflowing love. In meditation you might practice purna hridaya mudra for 5 minutes.

Contraindications for Purna Hridaya Mudra

Purna hridaya mudra is gentle and suitable for all practitioners.

Additional Insights on Purna Hridaya Mudra

Affirmations: "My heart is full of love, and I give and receive compassion freely." / "I connect deeply with others through love and empathy."

Visualization: As you hold purna hridaya mudra, visualize a green glowing, radiant light surrounding your heart, expanding outward as you breathe. Feel this light connecting you to others and the universe in a web of love and compassion.

Associated Chakras: Purna hridaya mudra activates Anahata (heart) chakra, promoting emotional balance, love, and compassion.

Paired Asanas: Works well with heart-opening poses such as ustrasana (camel pose) or tadasana (mountain pose).

Related Pranayama: Pair purna hridaya mudra with deep belly breathing or ujjayi breath to enhance emotional calm and heart-centered awareness.

Meditation Techniques: Purna hridaya mudra is ideal for loving-kindness meditation or heart-centered mindfulness practices.

Variations and Modifications

Alternative Hand Positions: Hridaya Mudra

Adaptations for Beginners: None

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Personal Insights

Purna Hridaya mudra is a natural compulsion and expression of love when the heart feels open. While there are other ways to form a heart with our hands, this form in particular is for a full heart using all fingers or both hands, we pour ourselves into this expression.

The mudra itself encapsulates the expression by connecting all fingers together. I can feel the prana of my heart flow into and through the mudra as I place it in front of my heart.

Purna Hridaya is commonly used without knowledge of its mudra status to display a feeling of love. This is why I call it a natural compulsion when feeling love.

Have you seen others using this mudra? Have you used it yourself?

Let me know your experience in the comments below.