Hand Meditation

The hand is an amazing part of our body, we may not notice it but we are very dependent of our hands in doing almost everything every day, even the simplest thing like touching our hair. The hand is also a way of expressing our emotions, the way we touch and feel through the hand is something astonishing. The hands do not only keep our deepest emotions but our memorable memories as well.

The hand meditation is way of meditating that focuses on this one amazing part of our body, the hand. No it’s not all about physical touch of the hand but more on the memories you have with it, the emotional side of it.

How to do the Hand Meditation

Hand meditation step 1
The hand meditation should be done in a group of four or more. Each one should get comfortable in a chair, with both feet firmly on the ground and closing the eyes. Rest the hands in the lap with palms up. Notice your breathing, you don’t need to change it just notice the pattern of the breath coming in and going out. Relax any tension in your body as you breathe.

Hand Meditation step 2
Start to become aware of the air at your fingertips, between your fingers, on the palm of your hand. Familiarize yourself with the strength and maturity of your hands. Remember the most unforgettable hands that you ever touched and known, your father’s, your mother’s, your grandparents, a friend or a lover. Imagine the hands of a new born baby the softness, the perfection, the delicacy. Once you had the same hands.

Hand Meditation step 3
Reflect on the things that your hands have done since that time, you learned most of the important things in life through your hands, turning yourself over, crawling and creeping, walking, balancing, learning to hold something for the first time, feeding yourself, washing and bathing, dressing yourself, and tying your shoe laces for the first time, all these things at one point of time in your life were your greatest accomplishments.

Think of your hands when they were the tools of your learning in many activities, what about the time when you first learned to write your name, when it was there to help out others, remember all the work they have done, the tiredness and aching they have known, the cold and the heat, the soreness and the bruises. Remember the helping hand you gave for others who needed comfort, the tears they wiped away may it have been your own or another’s.

Think about the special mystery of the hands of a person we love. The hands of those that touched yours, a doctor’s, a nurse’s, a dentist, and those hands we never forget.

Hand meditation step 4
Then, place your right hand slowly and gently over your heart. Press it firmly against it and feel the most mysterious of all human sounds, your heartbeat, a rhythm that flows of life and love. Press more firmly for a moment and then release the hand holding it just a fraction away from your heart, experience the warmth between your hand and your heart. Then lower your hand to your lap very carefully as if your heart was with it.

Think of all the hands that have left their imprint on yours, they can never be erased. The hand has its own memory and it will last forever.

Hand meditation step 5
Now, without opening the eyes, extend your hands on either side of you and find another hand. Hold it, explore it, sense its history and mystery, let your hand speak to it and let it listen to the other. Express your gratitude to this hand stretched out to you.

Hand meditation step 6
With eyes still closed, slowly release your hands and bring them back to your lap. Feel the presence of that hand lingering upon yours. The print is there forever.

Hand meditation step 7
When you are ready, open your eyes. Share thoughts and feelings of this experience around you.