षण्मुखी मुद्रा
Shanmukhi Mudra — Closing the Six Gates
ṣaṇ = six, mukhī = faced — sealing the six openings
Fingers gently close ears, eyes and lips — the world steps out, and the inner sounds step in.
In the simplest words
Use your fingers to gently close your ears, eyes and lips all at once — like shutting all the doors and windows of your face. Inside it's suddenly dark and quiet, and you might hear a soft humming that's just… you.
What it is
The hands become a door-keeper: thumbs close the ear-flaps, index fingers rest on the closed eyelids, middle fingers beside the nostrils, ring and little fingers above and below the lips. With the six gates shut, the hatha texts say, attention has nowhere to leak — and in the humming dark many practitioners begin to notice the body's own inner sounds, which nada yoga then follows like a path. Even without the subtleties it is the fastest sensory-quiet available without equipment: thirty seconds of it in an overwhelming day is a door closed on the noise.
Where it comes from: Classical hatha yoga — taught with the nada practices of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika (IV.68); the Gheranda Samhita teaches the same hand-seal as yoni mudra (ch. III).
Before you practise — health first
Featherlight fingers always — NEVER press the eyeballs, and skip the eye-closing fingers entirely with glaucoma or recent eye surgery (rest them on the brow instead). Skip ear-closing during ear infection. Release at the first sign of dizziness.
How to practise
Sit tall; lift the elbows out to shoulder height so the arms don't tire quickly.
Thumbs close the ear-flaps; index fingers rest featherlight on closed eyelids.
Middle fingers rest beside the nostrils (breath stays free), ring and little fingers frame the closed lips.
Breathe slowly and listen into the dark — a soft inner hum may appear; simply attend to it.
Hold 5–10 breaths, release the hands to the knees, and sit a moment before opening the eyes.
Practise now
Breathe with the circle
The circle will grow as you breathe in and soften as you breathe out. Follow it.
Round 1 of 6
Sessions of a minute or more are added to your sadhana log — stored only on this device. Stop whenever your body asks.
When & how long
One to three short holds — after pranayama, before japa, or mid-afternoon as a sensory reset. Pairs beautifully with bhramari humming inside it.
What it is kept for
Overstimulated days, noisy homes, pre-meditation sealing; the doorway into listening for the inner sound.