Padma = “lotus”
Mudra = “gesture, seal”
Padma Mudra = “lotus flower gesture,” “lotus seal”
How to do it:
Bring your palms together in front of your heart. Softly open your index fingers, middle fingers, ring fingers, and center of your palms apart from each other. Keep your thumbs, little fingers, and heels of your hands lightly connected to each other. The gesture resembles a blossoming lotus flower. Hold the mudra in front of your heart.
While holding the mudra, you may also choose to bring a more dynamic application to the practice that comes from Indian Dance – that is to spin the lotus. From Padma Mudra, keep your thumbs together and turn your palms forward. Begin to spin your wrists. The backs of your hands will start to come together and your fingers will begin to point down. As you continue to turn your wrists, your fingers will eventually point up again, and then bring your hands back to Padma Mudra. Spin the lotus, turning your wrists and keeping a light contact between your hands the whole time. Repeat as many times as feel good to you. My teacher, Sianna Sherman, refers to this as “spinning the prayer wheel of heart.” As we spin the “heart lotus,” we offer our love, beauty, compassion, and heart qualities out to the world.
Benefits of Padma Mudra:
Padma Mudra opens up the heart center. As we soften our breath, our chest, and our whole being, we can begin to rest into our “heart of hearts.” (Words from Cain Carroll.) If we feel closed or constricted in our heart, practicing with this mudra can blossom open the energy of the heart.