page_title: OK gesture
section_title: Mudra
hierarchical_section_title: OK gesture / Positive connotations / Mudra
caption_attribution_description: English: Vitarka Mudra. 8th century wall painting at Bezeklik, Tarim Basin. Detail of Image:Central Asian Buddhist Monks.jpeg
context_page_description: The OK or ring gesture is performed by connecting the thumb and index into a circle, and holding the other fingers straight or relaxed away from the palm. Commonly used by divers, it signifies "I am OK" or "Are you OK?" when underwater. In most English-speaking countries it denotes approval, agreement, and that all is well or "okay". In other contexts or cultures, similar gestures may have different meanings or connotations including those that are negative, offensive, financial, numerical, devotional, political, or purely linguistic.
context_section_description: In yoga the gesture is known as chin mudra ("the seal of consciousness") when the palm is face down, or jnana mudra ("the seal of wisdom") when the palm is face up or held in other positions, such as in front of the heart. Some schools of yoga use chin and jnana mudra interchangeably, while others claim that "the former produces a subtle feeling of rootedness, the latter a sense of lightness," or that jnana "the passive receiving position" while chin "is an actively giving position". In these mudras the middle, ring, and little fingers represent the three gunas of rajas, tamas, and sattva which, when in harmony, unite ātman and brahman, or the individual soul and universal soul. The pressing together of the thumb and forefinger represents that union—or "yoga"—of consciousness. In Buddhism the gesture is called vitarka mudra ("the seal of discussion") and is used to emphasize the meaning of words.
caption: Vitarka mudra, Tarim Basin, 9th century
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