A Sanskrit word literally meaning the great (maha) seal (mudra). A Tantric yoga position that begins with the practitioner sitting with his or her left heel pressed against the perineum (the midpoint between the anus and genitals). Then the nine orifices of the body are closed (2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nostrils, mouth, anus, and genitals) for the control of the physical and spiritual breath. According to some Tantric traditions Mahamudra refers to ritualized Tantric sexual union.