The lotus mudra
A mudra is a hand gesture. You have seen hundreds of them without knowing the word: in statues of the Buddha, in Indian dance, in old Christian paintings where a saint holds up two fingers. Every tradition seems to have worked out that what you do with your hands changes how you feel.
I like mudras because they ask so little. You can make one sitting, standing or waiting for the kettle. Nobody on the bus will notice. And in a yoga or meditation practice they give a restless mind something to hold on to.
They work best with company: a slow breath, a picture in your mind, or a few words you repeat to yourself.
My favourite
One of my favourites is the lotus. It belongs to the heart, and the lotus flower is a symbol of purity because it grows up clean out of muddy water.
It is the mudra for a day when you feel drained, or lonely, or as if nobody has understood a word you said. The gesture is your heart opening toward the sun. I find it eases tension as well.
How to make it
- Bring both hands in front of your chest.
- Press the heels of your hands together. Let your two little fingers touch, and your two thumbs.
- Open the other fingers wide, like petals.
- Close your eyes if you like. Take a few slow breaths.
That is all. You can hold it at the start of your seven minutes of sitting, or in the middle of a yoga practice, or in the car outside a difficult lunch.
While you hold it, try saying this to yourself: I open my heart.
It feels a little silly the first time. Do it anyway.
From the archive. First written for my journal years ago, and rewritten for life after 50.
