Manduki Mudra or the frog gesture involves rotating the tongue inside the palate and drinking the nectar that is secreted from the top of the head. Manduki mudra is mentioned in the Gheranda Samhita. This is a simple practice, but getting to taste the nectar happens only in advanced yogis.
The Gheranda Samhita says that keeping the mouth closed, the tongue should be rotated inside the palate and the nectar that flows from Sahasrara should be tasted. It further mentions that tasting of nectar can prevent wrinkling of skin and greying of the hair. Thus eternal youthfulness can be attained.
Well, drinking of nectar sounds like a difficult proposition for beginners. It is with constant practice that yogis achieve this feat. But once it is achieved, the benefits are tremendous. It keeps the body young and healthy. The yogi can live for a long period of time. A healthy body is essential for spiritual practices and hence it is highly recommended in the yogic texts.
How to practice Manduki Mudra (The Frog Gesture)?
- Sit in Vajrasana or the thunderbolt pose.
- Separate the lower legs and take the feet apart as much as possible.
- Let the perineum touch the yoga mat. This requires a bit of flexibility. If it is uncomfortable, you may place a cushion or blanket under the buttocks.
- Keep the body straight with erect spine.
- Keep the eyes closed and relax the whole body.
- The mouth should be kept closed throughout the practice. Rotate the tongue inside the palate. This will stimulate certain centres in the head which will facilitate the secretion of nectar or amrita. Of course getting the nectar takes lot of practice. This is a practice for advanced meditators.
Benefits of Manduki Mudra (The frog Gesture)
- When you sit in the above mentioned pose, there is pressure on the perineum which activates the Mooladhara chakra.
- The tasting of nectar has rejuvenating effect on the body. It can remove wrinkles of the skin, remove greying of hair and give youthfulness.
- The nectar also keeps the yogi healthy and gives long life.
Drinking of nectar that is mentioned in this mudra is a difficult process. Some advanced meditators may achieve it with prolonged practice. But there are other means to achieve that too, like the Kechari mudra and Nabho mudra. In Kechari mudra, the frenum of the tongue is physically cut bit by bit, so that the tongue finally can enter the nasal cavity. This facilitates the flow of nectar. Some masters don’t recommend cutting of the frenum while others highly recommend it.
All these are related practices and should be learned directly from an experienced yogi. Mudras are subtle practices and should be taken up only after mastering asana and pranayama. It is the mudras that help the practitioner to achieve higher states of consciousness.
All these practices (Manduki Mudra, Nabho Mudra and Kechari mudra) are a great help to those who are serious about experiencing deeper meditation and Samadhi.