The distinguishing detail
Chinmaya keeps the thumb and index finger in contact and folds the other three fingers toward the palm. That combination distinguishes it from the open-finger Chin shape and from Adi, where the thumb is enclosed. ICYER and the DST/AIIMS booklet agree on this hand arrangement.
Position is part of the teaching
The two sources place the hands differently within their breathing lessons: ICYER places them on the thighs, while the DST/AIIMS description associates them with chest support. This page illustrates the hand itself instead of combining the two whole-body directions into a new method.
Read the shape without adding a promise
These manuals present Chinmaya within sectional breathing. Their teaching context is recorded, but this page does not claim that folding three fingers directs air into a particular lung region or treats digestive disease. You can compare the diagram with Chin and Adi to learn the visual vocabulary. For an actual breathing practice, follow one complete reviewed entry with its own guidance, rather than adding this hand shape to every exercise.
Sources and scope
Main edition
Basic Practice of Some Pranayamas
Passage for this reading
- Basic Practice of Some Pranayamas
“Mudras for pranayama,” item 2, PDF p. 3.
Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, International Centre for Yoga Education and Research. Source page numbering refers to the PDF; hand descriptions compared independently.
- Structured Yoga Module for Diabetes (2024)
9.1(b), printed p. 49.
Puneet Misra, AIIMS New Delhi; edited with Rashmi Sharma, DST. Used here only to check the named hand arrangements, §9.1, printed p. 49. Its treatment claims are outside these pages’ scope.
What this edition covers
An original explanatory guide to this named hand form, with source comparisons and a schematic diagram.
Limits and differences
The prose above identifies material differences. Traditional explanations and promised attainments are attributed to their sources; they are not clinical evidence. Review date: September 11, 2026.