Hand Position

GentleJanet

What position are your hands in during meditation?

karasti

I usually sit in half Lotus position and rest my hands on my knees. It just feels the most natural to me. I've experimented with other positions, but I find myself thinking about it too much and it's distracting to me to hold my hands a certain way. So I just rest them

ThailandTom

If I am sitting whilst meditating they often are hanging from my knees, like drooping. Lying down they are normally together like a puzzle peice around my heart area, and other times I could not tell you, probably all over the place.

Sile

There are a number of common positions, and it depend somewhat on which tradition you're practicing. A general approach is to sit in a relaxed position with your hands resting casually on your knees (palms down).



Another popular position is the hands nested, palms up, thumbs touching (as many of the statues of the Buddha often show):



Open Dharma has a nice page on this subject, including options for those using chairs:

http://www.opendharma.org/static.php?left=blue&content=teachings/instructions/basics/postures&title=postures

ThailandTom

I normally do what is depicted in the first image apart from my hands are slightly more off of my knees and flop down, for some reason this helps me to relax more than if if I have my hands together or whatever.

federica

Mine are like the second picture, but the thumbs don't always meet. if I want to single-pointedly focus, i put my hands in the mudra position of the eternal knot. That's tricky, but it concentrates the mind wonderfully!

RebeccaS

Palms up

ThailandTom

Often I am really consciousness of where they are or should be if you will, other times it doesn't matter, they could be on my face and it would not make much of a difference.

lamaramadingdong

I use the hand position in the second photo myself. I have found that placing my hands in this position at any time outside of meditation causes me to calm and slow down. It functions as a physical cue to my body to relax without consciously having to even think about it.

how

With a stable meditation practise, many notice consistantly specific influences depending on the choice of one's hand mudra. Focus / openness / protection /grounding / teaching or ......
Mostly I use Sile's 2nd photo which represents the intermingeling of heaven & earth, the harmonization of body & mind, all opposites or in todays language..balance.
It takes just a slight attention to maintain and so the thumbs proximity to each other present a visual cue to yourself (or teacher) where you are.
My choice of hand mudra though is mostly reflective of my tradition.

Jason

I usually start with my left hand on my lap and my right hand resting on top of the left, with the tips of my thumbs touching. During longer sits, however, I may adjust my posture and interlock my fingers and place my hands a bit lower, or else place them on my knees, palms up or down depending on which feels the most comfortable.

For me, the posture itself isn't as important as being able to maintain it for an extended period of time so I can be aware of my body along with the breath but not be overly distracted by it.

ThailandTom

Give someone some money and they can eat for a while and be contant for a little while, Give someone a little wisdom and they can be content as long as they may live.

Not realtly on topic lol hahaha Tom baaaa laeo, baaa maak mak.

music

When I saw the topic title, my horny mind started thinking of ... well, you don't want to know. Anyway, could a person lie down and keep the hands on the chest?

ThailandTom

music said:

When I saw the topic title, my horny mind started thinking of ... well, you don't want to know. Anyway, could a person lie down and keep the hands on the chest?

errrrr yea, I am not a sex addict and very rarely masterbate anymore even though I only see my GF on the weekends these days. I have fallen asleep with my hands on my chest, you know where each finger is interlocked. You just have a dirty mind music, tut tut tut!

Davetheseeker

What, if any is the difference of which hand is on top as in picture #2?
The left hand is on top there, but in every photo or statue of Buddha his right hand is on top. :scratch:

Sile

Traditionally in India, the right hand was on top, but different traditions today choose different hand positions.

ThailandTom

I have also read that having your hands in this way correlates with a circle around the head which within it is that all famous image of the glowing wisdom circle of the enlightened one. But I just put my hands wherever they feel comfortable at the time

how

One way of teaching meditation with that particular balancing hand mudra is to put your dominent hand down first, with your less dominent hand on top of it.

BonsaiDoug

This is the best pic I could find that shows both the hand and leg positions for the way I sit in meditation. Not sure what the leg position (not quite a half lotus) or hand mudra are called.

Davetheseeker

Thanks for the answers :thumbsup:
I also sit the same way Doug.
I feel quite comfortable with the right hand on top as in the pics.

RebeccaS

Palms facing downward. Touching the floor. Because I'm doing a handstand.

BonsaiDoug

I'm going to try these two tomorrow morning.

Yeah! Right!

lamaramadingdong

BonsaiDoug said:

I'm going to try these two tomorrow morning.

Yeah! Right!

I could do those hand positions...

DairyLama

lamaramadingdong said:

BonsaiDoug said:

I'm going to try these two tomorrow morning.

Yeah! Right!

I could do those hand positions...

You must be advanced then..

DairyLama

GentleJanet said:

What position are your hands in during meditation?

Whatever's comfortable.