21st June has been declared International Yoga Day. As a Bharathnatyam dancer, how does this concern you?
Interestingly enough, there are many parallels between Yoga and Bharathnatyam, with the hand gestures – mudras – being the most basic common grounds in terms of the physical and visual aspect. And that is what we will be exploring in this blog.
There are many mudras and hastas that are common between the two traditions, with slight variations. What you will see in most hand gestures is a difference in how the fingers are held. In Yoga, the touching of one finger with the other is believed to cause a relay of energy flows along certain paths of the body. Hence, the tips of the fingers are always held together in the different mudras. In Bharathnatyam, this being a classical dance form, there is a stylistic difference, with fingers being held in a more aesthetic position.
Mudras are an expression of life. In dance it is used to express different emotions and ideas, or to represent different divine beings or other creatures. In Yoga those hands bring health.
So without further ado, lets dive into the mudras common to Bharathnatyam and Yoga.
[N.B.: In Yoga, each finger represents one of the five elements – little finger for water, ring finger for earth, middle finger for ether or space, index finger for air, and thumb for fire.]
- Hamsasya hasta vs. Gyaan (or vaayu vardhak) mudra
The forefinger touches the thumb, and the remaining fingers are stretched straight.
- In Bharathnatyam it could represent a swan, holding a garland or the act of writing.
- In Yoga it is called gyaan, meaning knowledge, and represents the air element. The ring created when the thumb and forefinger touch allows energy to circulate from the heart to the fingertips, and is therefore used in meditation, to enhance concentration, improve the memory, when seeking knowledge, for peace and for enlightenment.
- Trishula hasta vs. Varun (or jal vardhak) mudra
The little finger joins the thumb, and the remaining fingers are held up straight.
- Quite visually explicit, the trishula (three spear) hasta represents the trident, inferencing Lord Shiva who bears this weapon. It could also represent the Hindu trimurthi trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, or generally to express the idea of three.
- Varun mudra is also called jal vardhak, and increases the jal (water) element in the body, suitably affecting the water metabolism and balancing the water content in the body, thereby helping overcome water related disorders in the body.
- Mayura hasta vs. Prithvi mudra
The ring finger touches the tip of the thumb, while the remaining fingers are held up straight without a gap between them.
- Mayura means peacock and the gesture most often represents this bird, or could symbolise goddess Lakshmi.
- Prithvi mudra represents the earth element. It helps cool the body down, and also helps improve complexion, nails and hair, reduces fatigue, and helps the practitioner stay grounded.
- Simhamukha hasta vs. Apana mudra
The ring and middle fingers touch the thumb, while the index and little fingers are help upright.
- Simhamukha means lion faced, and represents lord Narasimha, the protector. It could also be used to represent a fire sacrifice.
- In Yoga, apana mudra is connected to the intestines and related organs of elimination, and therefore can be used for physical, mental and emotional digestion, and to regulate the functions related to those organs.
- Kartarimukha hasta vs. Prana mudra
The little and ring fingers join the thumb, while the index and middle fingers are held up straight, with the middle finger extending a little forward and away.
- Kartarimukha means scissors. It could also represent lightening, opposition, the eyes, or to show two different things.
- Prana is the vital life energy flowing through the body. Prana mudra therefore stimulates the smooth flow of prana energy to energise the body from within, making one stronger, active and enthusiastic.
- Mushti vs. Adi mudra
The hand is held like a fist. In dance the thumb warps outside the other fingers, whilst in Yoga the thumb is wrapped by the other fingers.
- In dance this represents courage, the act of fighting or grasping, and steadiness.
- Adi means first or primal as it is the first gesture an infant can make. It is used in pranayama and helps calm the mind and quieten the nervous system because it boosts breathing, augments lung capacity, and increases the flow of oxygen throughout the body.
- Samyutha hasta vs. Anjali mudra
The palms and fingers of both hands are placed against each other, with the fingers held up straight, as when greeting with a namaste.
- This is primarily used as a salutation to god, when greeting a teacher or elderly person, or to show worship.
- Anjali means to offer or salutation. In Yoga it is coupled with other poses, and aids in meditation, by improving focus, bringing inner awareness, establishing mindfulness, calming the mind, relieving stress, and connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
- Karkata (interlocked fingers) for asanas
The fingers of each hand are held up straight and separated from each other, and placed in an interlace.
- Karkata means crab. It can be used to represent the arrival of a crowd, the belly, the blowing of the conch, or the limbs of a tree.
And there you have it. The fascinating parallel between Bharathnatyam hand gestures and Yoga mudras. As a dancer it must be an intriguing discovery to realise that you have been benefiting from so much more. These seemingly small and graceful movements have great impacts on the body of the dancer as they improve mobility, flexibility, balance and posture of the external body, as well as hone the mind and balance the internal body.
And that brings us back to the opening comments of this blog. This Yoga International Day, as a Bharathnatyam dancer, you can celebrate the beautiful and nuanced aspects of Yoga that have filtered into this dance form and enriched the art!