KHECHARI MUDRA
(Tongue Lock)
(attitude of dwelling in supreme consciousness)
As the name indicates, the tongue is locked by rolling in upwards and then backwards. Traditionally, this practice needs a lot of preparation, from a very young age, wherein few surgical procedures are performed on the tongue so that it can easily get into the nasal cavity and reach Ajna Chakra (the space in between the eyebrows).
However, keeping in mind, the complexity of the traditional procedure, Raja Yoga describes a simpler version of Khechari Mudra, which can be easily practiced by everyone.
Method
Step 1: Roll your tongue upward to try and get the tip of the tongue into the nasal cavity at the back of the throat (visualize that you are trying to swallow your tongue constantly)
Step 2: The back of the tongue will touch the upper surface of the soft palate
Step 3: Keep your tongue stretched without any strain in the throat region
Step 4: Your mouth is closed and face maintains a normal relaxed look
Step 5: Keep your awareness fixed at the Ajna chakra
Step 6: Initially, it may be difficult to perform khechari mudra for a long period of time. You can hold for few seconds, release and then roll again. Gradually, with practice, it becomes easy to maintain the lock for a longer period of time.
To be practiced with
Khechari Mudra is practiced with Ujjayi Pranayama, Japa & different meditations.
Benefits
As the area involved in the practice is the throat region, it brings a lot of benefits to the throat region along with calming down the mind.
Thyroid Gland: Regular practice of Khechri Mudra stimulates thyroid and parathyroid gland, thereby, helps maintain normal secretion of that region.
Salivary Gland: As the practice is also connected with salivary gland, it influences the faculties of taste and helps in assimilation and digestion of food.