Meditation Articles Series

Smiling your way to peace in meditation and mudra

Throughout the Fragrant Heart website there is practical advice on adopting different postures in your meditation practice that are right for you. This week I’d like to encourage you to think about the placement of your hands when you are meditating. There are many different ways to do this and in the eastern traditions the hand gestures, or postures are called mudras.

Take the Stress out of Your Life with a Simple Mudra

Here is one that is a simple and reliable way of holding your hands as well as changing your emotional state from tense to calm, from stressed to peaceful. You can take this hand position into all parts of your life outside of your meditation practice to quickly centre and calm yourself.

How to Hold the Mudra

Here’s how to hold this mudra. Place the back of the right hand in the palm of the left, and allow the tips of your thumbs to touch lightly. In a seated posture rest your hands on your lap in line with our lower abdomen. Practise it now with your eyes gently closed. To help bring you into alpha state, into the right hemisphere of the brain, (where you can experience creativity and calmness), take your attention into your left hand and do this with a sense of calmness and purpose. Keep your attention there until you are aware of your left hand. If you are left-handed keep your attention in your right hand until you are aware of our right hand. Practise this mudra anytime when you are feeling calm, relaxed, and peaceful to anchor this in your body. Whenever an occasion arises when you become reactive, and upset just hold this mudra and you will instantly relax and feel calm.

Begin to Smile

Now still holding your hands together in your lap, allow yourself just the hint of a smile. Your facial muscles will relax, and amazingly so will your whole body. Your eye muscles will relax, your eyes will soften and when you open your eyes you will look out through them and view the world quite differently.

Bring this mudra to your life and your meditation practice, and also bring your smile!