MAHA MUDRA
Maha Mudra means 'great mudra' and should be prac ced
before doing Kriya. This technique is very important for
awakening the energy in the spine and helping us to feel the
currents as we prac ce Kriya.
Technique
Phase one: Sit on your le foot, with the heel res ng in the
anus. With the fingers intertwined, pull the right knee to the
chest. Make sure the spine is straight. While pulling on the
right knee, inhale with the regular Kriya breath (as explained
under 'Kriya Proper') to a count of 10-15.
While holding your breath, stretch the right leg straight out,
bend forward, and grasp the big toe with the small fingers of
the s ll interlocked hands. Bring your forehead to your knee
if you can. If you need to, you can bend the knee slightly to
make this possible. Pull on the toe, feeling a stretch in the
spine. Hold this posi on for a count of six, coun ng one to
six, or chan ng "OM" six mes (coun ng mentally only).
Keep the a en on at the point between the eyebrows.
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A er a count of six, bring the knee back up to the chest,
again pulling on it with the clasped hands (with the fingers
intertwined). In this posi on, exhale with the regular Kriya
breath to a count of 10-15.
Phase two: Switch sides, with the right foot res ng in the
anus and the le knee pulled to the chest with the
interlocked hands. Repeat phase one.
Phase three: Sit with both knees pulled to the chest with the
interlocked hands and the bu ocks on the floor. Again,
inhale with the Kriya breath while holding this posi on.
Stretch both legs straight out and pull on both big toes with
the interlocked hands, feeling the stretch in the spine. Bring
your forehead to the knees. Hold this posi on, and the
breath, to a count of six, with the a en on at the point
between the eyebrows.
Bring the knees back to the chest, pulling on them with the
interlocked hands. Exhale with the regular Kriya exhala on
in this posi on.
Prac cing phases 1-3 cons tutes one round of Maha
Mudra. You should prac ce 2-3 rounds of Maha Mudra
before prac cing Kriya.
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Points to Remember
—Try to prac ce as described, but if you can't, don't worry!
Very few people can prac ce it perfectly. Make adjustments
as you need to—bending the leg at the knee if you have to,
placing the foot to the side rather than si ng on it, or even
doing it in a chair if that's the only way you can. (There are
also other alternate posi ons for Maha Mudra that you can
learn through the Kriya Ministry office.)
—Remember that you are stretching the spine, rather than
just relaxing as you do with yoga postures.
—Always keep the hands clasped with the fingers
interlocked, if you are able to do so.
