Padma mudra: Gesture of Enlightening From Darkness to Light

blossom lotus flower as lotus mudra
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Lotus flower is used as a metaphor in many cases, but all the time it shows beauty, growth & purity. These qualities of lotus, which in Sanskrit also knowns as Padma, can imbibe for loving, cleanliness & personal development in life. So, we practice it as a yoga mudra, known as Padma mudra.

In our previous articles, as we have discussed yoga mudras are such a powerful tool to directs “prana – vital life force” in a certain way so we can feel a glimpse of that particular gesture (which we’re practicing) in our body & life.

    Mudras: The Yoga of The Hands

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    Here, by the practice of Padma mudra, we can learn how to cultivate the lovingness in our nature & the way lotus grows from mud to clear water surface, the same way how to enlighten our life from darkness to light.

    Padma Mudra: Lotus Gesture

    Padma Mudra is a seal or gesture made while performing meditation to cultivate feeling of lovingness to the divine one. When our hands are placed in this mudra, both hands look like a blossoming lotus flower. In this blossoming flower, our fingers represent the petals and the heels of hands represent the base of the flower.

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    This hand gesture is also associated with the Hindu deity Goddess Lakshmi. The way goddess Lakshmi shows her grace over a devotee by good fortune and wealth, this mudra brings happiness, compassion & feeling of gratitude in seeker’s heart.

    Padma mudra lets an individual deal with other human beings with love and gratitude. It encourages the feeling of down to earth. It makes us lead a happy life where love and peace reverberate the surroundings to the fullest.

    Growing Lotus: A Journey from Darkness to Light

    Growth of a lotus flower can be categorized into 3 parts:

    1. When lotus seed is into the mud – On comparing it with a person, this state represents the darkness in a person’s life. Here In this state, a person develops bad habits, ego & dramas that keep the person away from reality. This also can be referred to as a state of ignorance.
    2. When bud starts emerging from seed – This state is somewhere in life when we start questioning the reality of ourselves. On one side, it brings challenges in life & on the other hand, we also become stable sometimes. At this stage, we need someone who can push us further to show the path. With lotus bud, the water does the same work by emerging it.
    3. When lotus fully blossoms – Actually at this stage only we call it lotus flower. In the same way, a person’s life becomes successful when reaches this stage. This is stage is where one found the contentment is within thyself only & thus, becomes enlightenment.

    By performing Padma mudra, we actually push ourselves from the dark side to the lighter one.

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    Significance of Padma Mudra

    Practicing Padma Mudra opens up the Anahata or heart chakra. By stimulating the heart chakra, this mudra directs the subtle energy towards the heart and resonates with the qualities of joy, kindness, peace, love, compassion and a sense of gratitude.

    Lotus represents purity and stability. So, Padma Mudra is of great importance in the sense of fertility. This enables the practitioner to set up a deep and unbreakable bonding with the self. However, it also transforms the timid and fearful nature of a person into an inspired and motivated nature towards life respectively.

    Padma Mudra Performing Guide

    padma mudra or lotus mudra
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    One can easily practice the Padma Mudra by following the steps given below:

    Firstly, get yourself an open and calm place to perform this hand gesture. Begin with sitting in a comfortable posture such as Sukhasana (simple pose), Padmasana (lotus pose) and Vajrasana (thunderbolt pose). You can do it in a standing posture like tadasana. Relax your body and prepare for the Padma Mudra,

    • Bring your hands into the Anjali Mudra, in front of your chest.
    • Now open up the fingers in such a way that little and thumb fingers of both hands touch each other. The rest of the fingers (Index, Middle & Ring) remain apart from each other just like the blossoming lotus flower.
    • Keep the heels of both hands pressing each other.
    • Now, close your eyes and you can do OM chant breathing for deep concentration.

    Practice it for 10 to 15 minutes on a regular basis for the optimum results.

    Additional Gear

    If you want to add some mantra chanting while holding hands in Padma mudra, then Goddess Lakshmi’s seed mantra “shrim” is best for it.

    Start chanting “Shrim” & with this, lift your hands up from the heart’s position to over the head. Again, bring down hands to the heart position & repeat the same procedure for 10-20 rounds. This will make you feel more connected within your thyself.

    Padma Mudra Affirmations

    Affirmation is a process of repeating a positive statement with the cyclic movement.

    In Padma mudra, use the following affirmation:

    • While bringing hands up above the head in Padma mudra say – I rise above life’s challenges with ease and grace.
    • When opens up your fingers from Anjali mudra to Padma mudra say – My inner light shines brightly.
    • While hands blossoming in Lotus mudra say – My heart is pure.

    Precautions

    In order to achieve fruitful results, the practitioner should perform the Padma Mudra in a Careful manner.

    The following are some of the points or protective measures by which a person can perform the concerned hand gesture without any mishappening.

    • One should crave for a comfortable posture before coming into the Padma Mudra, which can only be achieved by wearing loose and light clothes.
    • Concentration is the fundamental key to unlock the mass benefits of mind and body. Therefore, an individual should keep away electronic gadgets or turn them off.
    • Breathing should be deeper and calmer as it will assist in the concentration by flushing the brain with an adequate amount of oxygen.

    Benefits of Padma Mudra

    Practicing Padma mudra brings numerous benefits regarding health and well being. The following are the positive point associated with the lotus mudra.

    1. Calms the Anxious Mind

    Stress and anxiety is a common problem in the modern world. It has significant effects on the mental and physical aspects of an individual.

    Padma Mudra encourages deep breathing, which relaxes the hyperactive nervous system. Therefore, it calms the stress and anxiousness of the mind.

    2. Helps in Digestive Function

    Disturbed digestion is the sign of a weak digestive system, which leads to various digestive problems such as acid reflux, constipation, flatulence, and indigestion, etc.

    However, hand fingers involved in Padma Mudra stimulates the vagus nerve, which further improves signaling between the digestive organs and parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system.

    It also helps in hemorrhoids (swollen veins in lower rectum).

    3. Activates the Anahata Chakra

    Padma Mudra directs the flow of subtle energy towards the heart region and activates or balances the Anahata or heart chakra.

    It showers compassion, harmony, purity, bliss, joy, kindness, love, and harmony on an individual.

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