Within the sevenfold yoga path of the Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā, mudrā is presented as a distinct limb that serves as a bridge between the more gross disciplines of purification and posture, and the subtler practices of prāṇāyāma, meditation, and samādhi. The text speaks of mudrās as powerful psycho-physical “seals” or locks that regulate prāṇa and apāna, stabilize the life-force, and direct it into the central channel. In this context, what later traditions distinguish as “mudrās” and “bandhas” are largely gathered together under the heading of mudrā, so that both gestures and muscular locks are treated as a single energetic technology. The Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā is said to describe twenty‑five such mudrās, each with its own specific effect, yet sharing the common aim of conserving and redirecting vital energy for spiritual purposes.

These mudrās and bandha‑like practices are portrayed as “seals” that prevent the outward or downward dissipation of prāṇa and subtle essences, and instead force them upward or inward. By such sealing, the practitioner is supported in awakening kuṇḍalinī, purifying the nāḍīs, and preparing the subtle body for deeper states of meditation and absorption. Practices corresponding to mūla‑bandha, uḍḍīyāna, and jālandhara are described in terms of contractions and locks at the root, abdomen, and throat, all serving to lift and contain the life-force. Combined forms such as mahāmudrā, mahābandha, and mahāvedha are presented as especially potent arrangements of these locks, used together with breath regulation to draw prāṇa into suṣumnā and stabilize higher states of consciousness.

The text characterizes these disciplines as secret, potent, and to be learned under the guidance of a competent guru, underscoring their power to affect both body and mind. They are said to support health, vitality, and longevity, to steady the body and mind, and to remove obstacles by correcting subtle imbalances. At the same time, they are portrayed as indispensable aids to prāṇāyāma and samādhi, rather than as isolated techniques, since their true purpose lies in mastery of the body’s energetic systems and the awakening of inner consciousness. In this way, mudrās and bandhas in the Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā are not mere physical maneuvers, but carefully crafted yogic instruments for sealing, directing, and transforming the vital forces that underlie spiritual realization.