Manduki Mudra – Meaning, Method Of Doing, Benefits

By Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa, B.A.M.S

Manduki mudra is called as frog pose or frog gesture. It is an intermediate level gesture which can be performed by a yoga practitioner. It is a seated yogic gesture that employs the whole body in the practice. The Upanishads categorize this gesture as one that involves the organs and parts of the face.

Manduki = frog
Mudra = gesture / lock / seal / mark
Read – Mudra – The Science Of Gesture: Benefits, Types, How To Practice

Procedure

• Sit in a comfortable position. Sit in Vajrasana i.e. diamond pose or Bhadrasana i.e. gracious pose. Sit on a yoga mat and not directly on the floor.
• Keep your spine straight.
• Take few slow and deep breaths and divert your attention on the breathing process, be aware of your breathing.
• Next you ensure that you separate both your legs and sit.
• Take the feet apart as much as possible. The feet point opposite to each other and are away from the body.
• Move the knees away from each other as far as possible without strain.
• Now allow your butts to rest firmly on the floor.
• Now your perineum touches the yoga mat.
• You can use a cushion or blanket beneath your butts. This provides the needed support.
• Put your hands on the knees, the palms facing downwards and touching your knees.
• Ensure keeping your upper body straight (head and spine) throughout the practice.
• Keep your eyes closed. Also keep the whole body relaxed.
• You should also keep your mouth closed throughout the length of practice.
• Rotate your tongue within your mouth and touch the roof of your mouth with the tongue.
• This would stimulate the pineal gland.
• With this practice it is said that the amrita i.e. nectar flows from one’s brain into the mouth.
  Read – Yogasana – Spiritual, Physical And Mental Benefits, Classification

Rotation of tongue in the oral cavity mentioned by other sources –

Move the tongue in front of the teeth. Let the mouth be closed while doing so. The jaw should be relaxed. Start by moving the tongue to the left, then right, up and down. Do this 3 times. Then rotate the tongue 3 times clockwise and 3 times anti-clockwise while touching the tongue to the mouth and palate.

Release –

• Bring your feet closer. Come back to vajrasana.
• Relax your mouth and tongue.
• Breathe easily and relax.
  Read – Tips To Enhance Effect Of Mudra, 5 Mudra Groups, Rules Of Hasta Mudra

Time and Duration

Be in this gesture for 3-5 minutes. With gradual practice you can add couple of minutes more to the practice. Repeat the procedure for at least 5 times.

It is best practiced in the early hours of the morning. It should be done on empty stomach for better results.
Read – Muladhara Chakra – The Root Chakra, Features, How To Activate?

Benefits

Appraisal of frog gesture –

Gheranda Samhita says that keeping the mouth closed, one should rotate the tongue in the mouth, in contact with the palate and the nectar that flows from the Sahasrara Chakra should be tasted. It further mentions that tasting the nectar prevents wrinkling of skin and graying of the hairs. In this way one can attain youthfulness.

This is difficult proposition for the beginners. It can only be achieved by the yogis who have mastered this art of drinking the nectar with constant practice. But once this experience is achieved, the benefits are unexplainable. It is known to keep the body young and healthy. This bestows longevity to the yogi or any practitioner. Since a healthy body is needed for all spiritual practices, this mudra has been recommended in the yogic texts to achieve the same.
Read – Easy Rules For Practicing And Mastering Yoga

The other benefits are –

• The pressure exerted on the perineum while practicing this gesture activates the root chakra i.e. muladhara chakra
• Pranic energy flow is balanced
• Tasting of nectar has rejuvenating effect on the body and mind
• It removes skin wrinkling, graying of hairs and bestows youthfulness, is anti-ageing 
• The nectar keeps the practitioner healthy and provides longevity
• It gives an experience of deeper meditation and takes one to the state of Samadhi
• Good for digestion, increases appetite as it increases saliva
• It relaxes the facial muscles, the face looks attractive
• Good for throat, makes the tongue strong
• Affects the sense of taste, creates a divine sense of smell
• Stretches the ankles, knee joints and hips
• Balances the nadis i.e. ida and pingala. By doing so it brings balance between extroversion and introversion.
• Calms the fluctuations and disturbances in the mind
• Promotes high level sensory perception

Caution

Be cautious while practicing if you have problems related to ankles, knees or hips. You can avoid this mudra or take the opinion of an expert mudra specialist.
Read – Gym Or Yoga? Which One To Choose?

Effect on Chakras

As already said, this gesture stimulates, activates and energizes the root chakra. It also stimulates the Sahasrara Chakra and enables flow of amrita i.e. nectar from the brain into the whole body.

Effect on the elements

This mudra mainly balances all the elements, mainly the earth and air elements.

Impact on the doshas and tissues

Seeing the extensive benefits of the frog gesture it can be assumed that it has a tridosha balancing effect. It balances the apana vayu – prana vayu axis and enables flow of pranic energy in the body. By balancing the samana vayu – pachaka pitta – kledaka kapha, it aids digestion of food.

By stimulating bodhaka kapha it generates interest in the food and helps in softening the food. This forms the foundation for easy digestion of food in the stomach. At the same time it also has a calming and balancing effect on the mind doshas i.e. raja and tama.
Read – Manasika Doshas – Satva, Rajas, Tamas As Per Ayurveda

This gesture stimulates the muladhara chakra which is located close to the apana vayu location. By balancing the apana vayu functions, this gesture enables easy excretion of feces and urine, easy ejaculation and menstruation.

Coming to the tissues, it strengthens the muscles and bone tissues. By aiding proper digestion of food, this gesture enables formation of good quality and quantity of rasa tissue. This tissue is mainly embedded in the skin. By enriching the skin quality and health, it wards off the wrinkles, reduces graying of hair and promotes youthfulness, thus is anti-ageing.
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