What Is Nyasa?

Tao Semko of Umaa Tantra explains the Tantric practice of nyasa. Here is another explanation from the book Mahanirvana Tantra (Tantra of the Great Liberation) translated by Arthur Avalon.

Nyasa is a Sanskrit word which translates as "placing," "applying," or "touching." But it is much more.

Nyasa is the conscious act of touching or placing the fingers or hands on sacred, sensitive, or medicinally active points of the body. In hindu tantric meditations and pujas, the practitioner lays his hands on himself in each of these places, in special sequences.

The meditator infuses each location with a special mantra, visualization, or feeling, which is spoken aloud or mentally conjured. Read more