The Practice Where You Close Every Gate to the Outside World on Purpose

This is the practice where every gate to the outside world gets closed on purpose, one at a time, using nothing but the fingers, and what it actually does is closer to physics than mysticism.

What the name is actually telling you

Shanmukhi means six-faced, or six-gated, referring to the six sensory openings on the face, the eyes, ears, and nostrils, that this practice deliberately closes off.

How to actually do it

Sit in a stable meditation seat. Bring the hands to the face: thumbs gently close the ears, index fingers rest lightly on closed eyelids, middle fingers rest at the sides of the nose without blocking the breath, ring fingers rest above the upper lip, little fingers below the lower lip. Breathe slowly through the nose, attention drawing inward as each sense channel is gently softened.

A shielded chamber, not a generator

Closing all six sensory gates is functionally a Faraday cage, the shielded chamber physics uses to block outside electromagnetic noise so a faint internal signal becomes detectable that would otherwise be lost in it. Nothing gets generated by closing the eyes, ears, and nostrils. Something that was probably already present simply stops being drowned out by the six channels that normally keep letting outside noise in.

Precaution and contraindication

Keep all pressure light, this is a practice of gentle withdrawal, not physical pressure, especially at the eyes and ears. Come out of the position slowly, hands lowering before the eyes open.

Avoid or modify with any eye condition sensitive to pressure, such as glaucoma, or with an ear infection or injury.

The science involved

Reducing external sensory input is one of the most direct ways to shift the nervous system away from the vigilant, outward-scanning state most people default to, and toward the inward, settled attention meditation practice actually depends on, which is likely why a practice this specific, methodically closing each sensory gate in turn, developed as a distinct technique rather than being left to gaze-softening or simple eye-closing alone.

This is one of the first five Meditating poses in the Beginner's Guide to Yoga Asana. Pair this with a stable base like Sukhasana or Vajrasana.

If this helped, drop a comment and let us know what you felt. Share it with someone in your circle who's learning too. And if you want to go deeper before the book and app are ready, reach out directly, we're here for the support.