🤲Illustration coming soonHand LOWERED beside the knee or at the hip, arm extended, palm facing forward and out, fingers together pointing DOWN. Often paired with Abhaya Mudra on the other hand.
Varada Mudra
Varada Mudrā
VAH-rah-dah MOO-drah
DevotionalElement: balance of all five
Varada Mudra (Varada Mudrā) is a devotional hand mudra formed with the open palm lowered, associated with balance of all five.
Varada Mudra is a lowered open hand with the palm facing out and the fingers pointing down, the gesture of giving. Buddhist and Hindu tradition uses it to express generosity, compassion, and the granting of boons.
The gesture
The gesture
Hand LOWERED beside the knee or at the hip, arm extended, palm facing forward and out, fingers together pointing DOWN. Often paired with Abhaya Mudra on the other hand.
Fingers
open palm lowered
Element
balance of all five
Palm
forward, fingers down
Hands
left (or either)
Hold for
a few breaths to 5 minutes
Also called
Mudra of Generosity, Boon-Granting Mudra
How to do Varada Mudra
Sit in Easy Pose with the spine tall, or stand in Mountain Pose with the feet hip-width apart, and let the shoulders drop.
Extend the left arm down along the side of the body, with the elbow softly straight and the hand beside the knee or hip.
Turn the left palm to face forward and out, away from the body, with the fingers together and pointing down toward the floor.
Keep the thumb relaxed alongside the index finger, the wrist in line with the forearm, and the fingers soft rather than stiff.
Rest the right hand on the right thigh, or raise it in front of the shoulder as in Abhaya Mudra, if you like the traditional pairing.
Breathe slowly and evenly for a few breaths up to five minutes, and let each exhale feel like offering something outward.
To release, bring the arm back, rub the palms together, and rest both hands on the knees.
Quick check: do you know this mudra?
Benefits
Traditionally used to express generosity and the granting of blessings.
Said to cultivate an attitude of giving and compassion toward others.
Practitioners use it as a posture cue for openness during seated meditation or standing practice.
Gives the attention a simple anchor when paired with slow, even breathing.
A recognizable shape from sacred art, which some find helps connect practice to its tradition.
When to use it
Use it at the end of a seated practice as a closing gesture of gratitude, or during a standing meditation in Mountain Pose.
Cautions
Do not hold the arm extended so long that the shoulder or neck tenses; rest the hand on the thigh if it tires.
Keep the elbow and wrist soft; stop if you feel strain in the joints or numbness in the fingers.
People with shoulder injuries should keep the hand close to the thigh instead of reaching out.
Varada comes from the Sanskrit vara, meaning “boon,” “gift,” or “choice,” and da, “giving,” so the name is roughly “boon-giving.” It is best known from Buddhist and Hindu sacred art, where statues of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, and deities often show one hand lowered with the open palm turned outward. In that iconography it signals charity, compassion, and the granting of wishes. It is mainly an iconographic and devotional gesture rather than a hatha yoga technique, and modern practice borrows it for meditation. Because the whole open hand is used, the tradition does not assign it to a single finger and element; the five fingers together are said to represent a balance of all five elements.
How to practice
Sit in Easy Pose with a tall spine, or stand in Mountain Pose. Let the left arm hang beside the knee or hip, then turn the palm forward and out with the fingers together and pointing down. The right hand can rest on the thigh or be raised in the traditional pairing described below. Keep the shoulders low and the neck long. Breathe with Dirga Breath, a slow three-part breath, or with Sama Vritti, equal-length inhales and exhales. Hold for a few breaths up to five minutes, then release the arm and rest the hands.
Tips and common mistakes
Palm direction and finger direction are what define this gesture. The palm faces forward, away from you, and the fingers point down. Do not turn the palm toward the thigh or the floor.
Unlike Abhaya Mudra, where the hand is raised at shoulder height with the palm facing out and the fingers pointing up, Varada has the arm lowered and the fingers pointing down. The two are often shown together, Abhaya on one side and Varada on the other.
Keep the fingers together and relaxed, not splayed or rigid, and keep the wrist in line with the forearm instead of bent back. Avoid locking the elbow or lifting the shoulder toward the ear.
If the extended arm tires, rest the back of the hand against the thigh. The gesture should feel like a calm offering, not a held effort.
Tradition vs. evidence
There is little clinical research on mudras, and none specific to Varada. What is defensible is that a deliberate, open posture of the hand can act as an attention anchor and a ritual cue, especially when paired with slow breathing. The associations with generosity and boons are traditional and symbolic, so treat them as meaning rather than as a measured effect.
Honest note: hand mudras have very little clinical research behind them. What is defensible is that a held gesture is a reliable anchor for attention and pairs naturally with slow breathing; the traditional claims are described here as tradition, not as medical advice.