詳しいガイド（英語）
Meaning and tradition
Uttara means “supreme” or “highest,” and bodhi means “awakening” or “enlightenment,” so the name is often given as “supreme enlightenment.” It is a gesture from Japanese esoteric Buddhist tradition, where it is associated with the Buddha Vairocana and used in ritual, and from there it entered modern yoga and meditation guides. It is not a classical hatha yoga mudra, so it is best described as a Buddhist-derived gesture popular in modern practice. By the finger-element scheme, the index finger is air and the thumb is fire, so tradition reads it as combining air and fire.
How to practice
Stand in Mountain Pose or sit in Easy Pose. Interlace the fingers in front of the chest with the palms facing each other. Extend the two index fingers together pointing up, and extend the two thumbs together pointing down or crossed. Hold the hands at the chest or above the head. Breathe with Ujjayi Breath, a soft breath with a gentle constriction in the throat, or with Dirga Breath. Hold for 5 to 10 minutes, then release.
Tips and common mistakes
The fingers are interlaced, but two fingers stand out: the index fingers pressed together pointing up, and the thumbs pointing down or crossed.
Unlike Vajrapradama Mudra, where all fingers stay loosely interlaced, the palms rest against the heart, and the thumbs point up, here the index fingers stand up and the thumbs point down or cross.
Unlike Linga Mudra, where only the left thumb stands up and the right thumb and index finger encircle it, here both index fingers point up together and the thumbs go down.
Unlike Yoni Mudra, where the index fingertips touch pointing down, the thumb tips touch pointing up, and the other fingers interlace behind to form a diamond held below the navel, here the index fingers point up, the thumbs point down, and the hands are held at or above the chest.
Keep the elbows soft, the shoulders down, and the grip light.
Tradition vs. evidence
Mudras have little clinical research behind them, and none supports the claims of enlightenment or clarity for this one. What is defensible is that a clear, symmetrical hand shape serves as an attention anchor and ritual cue, especially when paired with slow breathing. The Buddhist meaning is traditional and symbolic.