The form used in this library
The index and middle fingers fold inward. The thumb remains available at the right nostril; the ring and little fingers remain together at the left. This is the Vishnu mudra described in the Sivananda Companion and used in the library’s complete alternate-nostril entry. The diagram shows the hand by itself, so that the fingers are easy to distinguish.
Why the name needs a source
The 2026 Common Yoga Protocol labels a comparable folded-finger form Nasagra mudra. ICYER uses Vishnu for a different arrangement with the middle finger at the brow. This is a real naming variance. The page does not combine these forms or suggest that the name alone determines the finger position.
Use it with its whole practice
A hand diagram cannot tell you when to change nostrils, which side begins the cycle, or whether a particular teaching includes retention. The linked alternate-nostril page supplies the complete no-retention sequence, including its light-touch instruction and cautions. Return there for the practice; use this page to understand the hand. No finger-to-organ or hormonal effect is claimed.
Sources and scope
Main edition
The Sivananda Companion to Yoga
Passage for this reading
- The Sivananda Companion to Yoga
“The Vishnu Mudra,” printed p. 73.
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, 1983, “The Vishnu Mudra,” printed p. 73. Edition scan hosted by Friends of Tibet.
- Common Yoga Protocol (2026)
Nasagra hand position, printed p. 41.
Ministry of Ayush, Government of India. Printed-page coordinates are 15 lower than PDF-page numbers. Modern teaching protocol.
- Basic Practice of Some Pranayamas
“Mudras for pranayama,” items 5–6, PDF p. 3.
Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, International Centre for Yoga Education and Research. Source page numbering refers to the PDF; hand descriptions compared independently.
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.