Padma Mudra - Lotus Seal

Padma Mudra (Pad-ma) - Lotus Seal

Padma Mudra, with its beautiful symbolism and heart-opening qualities, can be a deeply nurturing and transformative addition to practices focused on love, compassion, and spiritual growth.

Instructions

1. Sit in a comfortable position with a straight spine.
2. Bring your hands in front of your heart, palms facing each other.
3. Keep the heels of the hands, the little fingers, and the thumbs touching.
4. Spread the other fingers apart like the blooming petals of a lotus.
5. Hold the Mudra gently at heart level, keeping your shoulders relaxed.

Benefits

• Opens and activates the heart chakra.
• Promotes feelings of love, compassion, and purity.
• Helps in releasing tension and emotional blockages from the heart.
• Encourages a sense of peace and tranquility.
• Aids in meditation focused on personal growth and empathy.

When to Practice

• During meditation focusing on love, compassion, or self-acceptance.
• In yoga practices aimed at opening the heart chakra.
• When seeking to cultivate inner peace and emotional balance.
• Anytime you need to reconnect with feelings of love and compassion.

Duration: 5-10 minutes

Best Time of Day: Evening

Contraindications

Possible discomfort in hands to hold the fingers spread out upwards.

—— 🕉 ——

Personal Insights

Padma mudra is the image and sensation of an unfolding lotus flower. The lotus grows in mud but from the mud emerges a vibrant flower untouched by the water or mud.

During a yoga practice, Padma mudra is a radiant addition such as in tree pose (vrksasana). This is one of my favorite ways to perform the lotus mudra.

Coming into tree pose, find your balance, extend the arms overhead and form the lotus above your crown chakra. Turn your gaze to look up at the flower and ascend the mind.

This can be challenging on your standing balance. I welcome you to try it!