The next time you sit down to meditate,
Instead of letting your hands rest wherever they happen to fall,
Try placing them with intention because in many ancient traditions like yoga,
Buddhism,
Hinduism and ayurveda The position of the hands during meditation is considered far from incidental.
It's considered a practice in itself.
These intentional hand gestures are called mudras.
The word again comes from Sanskrit and means seal or gesture.
And the idea behind them is that the hands contain energetic pathways in the same way that acupressure points map the body's energy in Chinese medicine.
So different finger positions create different circuits per se.
Influence different qualities of energy,
Consciousness,
And mental state.
And this is not as abstract as it might sound.
Think about how naturally expressive hands already are.
When we grieve,
We cover our hearts.
When we pray,
We press our palms together.
When we want to convey openness,
We extend our hands outward,
Palms up.
The body already knows that hands carry meaning.
Mudras simply make that intentional.
Let me introduce you to two mudras you can use right now.
The first one is Gyan Mudra,
The mudra of knowledge and clarity.
How we do it is we bring your thumb and index finger together gently.
Just the tips touching,
And extend the remaining three fingers softly.
And do it with both hands.
And rest your hands on your knees or thighs,
Palms facing upward.
This is one of the most widely used mudras in meditation.
And I really like the meaning.
It is said to activate the element of air in the body,
Stimulate the brain and support focus,
Wisdom and a receptive state of mind.
So when you sit with Gyan Mudra,
You are signaling,
I am open,
I am ready to receive.
Try it now.
Settle your hands into Gyan Mudra like this.
Yarn.
That was that.
The second one is prana mudra.
The mudra of life force and vitality.
Bring the tips of your ring finger and little finger to touch the tip of your thumb.
Let your index and middle finger Extend gently outward and do it with both hands.
Rest your hand on your thighs,
Palms facing upward.
Prana means life force in Sanskrit,
The vital energy that moves through everything living.
This mudra is said to awaken and activate that energy within you.
Where Gyan Mudra opens the mind to clarity and receptivity,
Prana Mudra awakens the body's inner aliveness.
Together they make a beautiful pair,
One for the mind,
One for the energy body.
So try it now.
Prana Mudra with both hands.
Sit tall.
Take one breath.
And feel the subtle shift in your hands,
The gentle activation of contact between the fingers.
These two mudras are a beautiful place to begin.
Gyan Mudra for Clarity,
Focus and Receptivity Prana Mudra for Vitality,
Energy and Inner Awakening Experiment with both and notice which one your hands reach for naturally on any given day.
Your body already knows what it needs.
The mudra is simply how you listen.
Your hands have always been part of your practice.
Now you know how to use them.
How about you visit my profile on Insight Timer and pick one of my tracks,
Maybe my Walking the Path of Eastern Wisdom meditation,
Which weaves ancient Eastern practices,
Including intentional awareness of the body,
Into a deeply grounded journey and use one of the mudras you have learned today.
And enjoy it.
