Hi,
This is Joni.
Welcome to this brief mindfulness practice using mudras.
In the yoga tradition,
Mudras are hand positions that you rest your hands in during meditation.
They can actually be the focus of your meditation.
And in different traditions,
These hand positions can hold various meanings.
The way in which I was taught to use a mudra is to use it as a focal point in mindfulness.
That means I'll be directing you to place your hands in a certain position and asking you to focus your attention on sensation in your hands in that moment.
It's as simple as that.
This allows you to feel whatever you feel and you can be present with it.
Let's begin by sitting comfortably.
First I invite you to rest your hands palms down on your legs.
Let your hands be relaxed and let there be space between all of the fingers.
Either close your eyes or turn your gaze downward.
Take a deep breath in and a long,
Slow exhale.
And then allow your breath to be natural.
Notice the flow of your breath,
The sensations of each inhale,
The sensations of each exhale without changing the breath.
Just let it be what it is.
Bring your attention now into the palms of your hands.
Without moving the hands,
Just feel the connection,
The contact between your hands and your legs.
Perhaps you can feel a sense of warmth or the weight of your hands resting on your legs.
Bring all of your attention there.
Let everything else fade to the background.
Keeping your hands in this position,
Just change one thing.
Connect your index fingers to your thumbs.
Palms are still down.
Feel that contact point between each fingertip and thumb.
Index fingers touching the thumbs.
All the other fingers are relaxed.
Release that contact point.
Let the hands be relaxed.
Let there be space between all the fingers again.
Then reconnect.
Feel the index fingers touching the tips of the thumbs.
Feel that contact point.
Index fingertips touching the thumbs.
All of your awareness to that contact point.
Keep that contact point,
But turn your hands up so the palms are facing the sky.
Let the backs of the hands rest on the legs.
Index fingers still touching the tips of the thumbs.
All the other fingers relaxed.
All of your awareness into your hands in this position.
Now release the index fingers from the thumbs and feel the openness of the hands.
Now bring your hands together in such a way where they can rest in your lap,
But the tips of all ten fingers are touching.
The tips of the thumbs are touching.
Tips of the index fingers,
Middle fingers,
Ring fingers,
And little fingers are all touching.
Let there be space between the lengths of the fingers and there's space between the palms.
Almost as if you were holding a sphere.
Relax the hands into your lap in this way.
And again,
Almost as if you were holding a sphere or a ball.
Feel the contact points,
The tips of all ten fingers touching.
Focus all of your attention there.
Now focus your attention on the empty space between your hands and between the lengths of your fingers.
Focus your attention on the connection,
The tips of the fingers.
Focus your attention on the space between the hands.
Now relax your hands into your preferred position.
That might be hands palms down on the legs or palms up.
Perhaps the index fingers and the thumbs are touching.
Perhaps there's space between them.
Or perhaps you stay in this position with all ten fingertips touching.
Bring your awareness to your hands,
But let some awareness in the background of the breath emerge.
Feel that rise and fall,
The in-breath,
The out-breath.
Let everything else go.
Nothing else matters,
Just breathing in,
Breathing out,
And feeling your hands.
Let's take a deep breath together.
Inhale through the nose,
And exhale through the mouth with a sigh.
When you feel ready,
You can open your eyes or look up again and bring this practice to a close.
I hope you enjoyed this brief practice utilizing some simple mudra hand positions.
Take care.
