As you begin this meditation,
Find yourself a comfortable seat.
Maybe cross-legged on the floor or sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the ground,
Spine tall.
Allow your eyes to gently close or your gaze to soften.
Your hands can rest on your thighs or wherever they are most comfortable.
Take a few moments to arrive in this practice,
Setting aside the activity of the day so far.
Tune in to the sound of your breath,
The soft music created by your body drawing in air on the inhale,
Releasing air on the exhale.
Notice the sensation of the breath as it enters your body through your nostrils.
Maybe a little cooler and drier on the inhale.
Maybe a little warm and moist on the exhale.
Notice the way your body is moved by your breath.
On your inhale,
A lift in the chest,
A widening through the ribs,
An expansion of the belly.
On your exhale,
A release of the belly,
Sinking in of the ribs,
A softening of the heart.
Bring your hands to your heart,
Palms together.
Begin to slowly rub your hands together,
Gently warming your hands and concentrating on the sensation of one palm moving against the other.
The fingers of one hand sliding up the fingers of the other,
Sliding back down.
Begin to rub your hands together in a circular motion,
Circling one palm against the other.
Notice the change in sound created by this new motion.
The change in sensation of your fingers moving across each other,
Back and forth.
When your hands feel warm,
Slowly bring them to rest on your thighs.
Palms face up,
Fingers curled open,
Relaxed.
Notice how your hands feel.
Any tingling,
Any sensation of moving energy.
In many different traditions,
There is a recognition that the position of our hands has the ability to influence the energy of our physical body,
As well as that of our emotional and spiritual bodies.
Mudras,
Hand gestures or positions,
Help to link the brain to the body,
Connecting our mental awareness to our embodied state.
They provide a point of focus,
A point of concentration.
Mudras can also help to subtly shift the energy of the body to soothe pain,
Stimulate endorphins,
Change our mood and increase our vitality.
In Ayurveda,
The sister science to yoga,
Each finger represents one of the five elements.
The thumb channels Agni,
Fire.
The index finger channels Vayu,
Air or more literally wind.
The middle finger channels Akasha,
Space or ether.
The ring finger channels Prithvi,
Earth.
The pinky finger channels Jala,
Water.
We are at our best when these five elements are in balance within our system.
Working with mudras to connect these different elemental pathways through our fingertips is one way to help maintain energetic balance.
Begin by bringing the thumb of each hand to touch the tip of your index finger,
Fingerprint to fingerprint.
The rest of your fingers can stay open and relaxed against your thigh.
Press your index fingers firmly into your thumbs.
Then release the pressure and begin to make small circular motions,
Rubbing one fingerprint against the other,
Index finger to thumb in slow conscious circles.
Uniting the thumbs and index fingers brings fire and air together.
Air feeding fire.
This gesture can help to increase creativity and concentration and release anger.
It is a gesture of wisdom.
Release this connection and bring your middle fingertips to touch your thumbs,
Fingerprints pressing firmly together.
Then release the pressure,
Starting to make slow circles with your middle finger against your thumb.
Uniting these two bring together ether and fire,
Symbolizing peace and discipline.
This gesture can help generate a feeling of strength and stability,
Calming the nervous system.
Shift now to bring your ring finger in contact with your thumb,
Fingerprints pressing firmly against each other.
Release the pressure and resume your slow gentle circles.
This gesture brings together fire and earth,
A combination that represents balance,
Energy and health.
This is a gesture that can invite confidence and positive change into our lives.
Finally,
Bring together your pinky fingers and your thumbs,
Pressing the pads of your pinkies firmly into the pads of your thumbs.
Release the pressure and start to draw your slow circles with your pinky against your thumb print.
Here we are uniting fire with water,
Apparent opposites that help promote intuition and open communication.
Release this connection and allow the backs of your hands to rest against your knees,
Palms open towards the sky.
Notice whatever there is to notice here.
Any sensations,
Any thoughts,
Any emotions.
Allow whatever comes up to simply arise,
Unfolding before your patient observing mind.
To close this practice,
Bring your hands back together at the centre of your heart,
Palms touching.
Notice the completeness of this connection,
This mudra.
Feel your hands meet at the base of the palms,
The sides of the hands,
The base of each finger,
Along the length of your thumbs,
Your index fingers,
Your middle fingers,
Your ring fingers,
Your pinky fingers.
At the same time,
Notice the spaces between these connection points,
The gaps of your joints,
The centre of your palms,
The base of your wrists.
See if you can explore these spaces and these meeting points with your mind's eye,
Sensing your hands from the inside out.
This gesture,
Anjali Mudra,
Is one that promotes balance between the right and the left sides of the brain,
The right and the left sides of the body.
It is a gesture of balance,
Of harmony and of gratitude.
Take a final moment to direct a deep sense of gratitude inward.
To yourself for taking this time to practice,
To your mind and your body for everything they do to support you,
And especially to your hands for all that they carry,
For each and every task that they perform throughout the day.
Take one final deep breath in and release it with a big sigh out through your mouth.
Gently flutter your eyes open,
Returning to the present moment.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
