This mudra is excellent for those who are just beginning to incorporate mudras into a mindfulness practice.  The gesture, medha prana kriya, is truly an enabling tool physically, mentally and emotionally.  It’s core quality is that of welcoming thoughts and feelings.

“But wait a minute!  When I meditate, I am not supposed to have thoughts, right?  That’s why I can’t meditate, because I have so many thoughts!”

See, medha prana kriya is helping you already.  In a mindfulness meditation practice, you aren’t trying to suppress your thoughts, or anything else that bubbles up while you sit (or walk.) Let’s remind ourselves that mindfulness is the process of paying attention, on purpose and without judgement, to things as they actually are.  No mention there of trying to take your thoughts and shove them into a dank, unused corner of your brain.  Mindfulness demands that you have thoughts and feelings, so that you have something to pay attention to.  Medha prana kriya not only tells us that it’s OK to have thoughts and feelings while meditating, it gives you explicit permission to bring them on.

Let’s understand how to hold the mudra, and then we’ll practice it.  Place the tip of the index finger into the joint of the thumb.  Apply adequate pressure, as if you are pressing a penny against your thumb.  Extend the other three fingers to the best of your ability, and place the hands, palms up, onto the thighs or knees.  Do this with both hands.  Sit up tall. Close your eyes if that’s comfortable for you, and take a few full, slow, and even breaths.  Stay for four breaths, then open your eyes.

What you might have experienced during that brief time is a physical feeling of openness in the chest, which, not so coincidentally, is where your heart is located.  The mudra, and the physical posture it facilitates in your body, increases oxygen flow into the chest/heart center.  It is also no coincidence that oxygen=energy=prana, and that this mudra’s middle name is prana.  The mudra is intended to direct energy to the heart, the physical seat of emotion.  I like to think of medha prana kriya as an amplifier, one that turns up the volume on my emotions so that it is easier for me to listen to them. Try holding it again for a minute or two, and listen carefully for any emotional reactions that arise.  Let them come, without resistance or encouragement.  Simply see what happens.  After a few minutes, release the gesture, open the eyes, and note your experience.

But experiencing your thoughts and emotions is only part of what we do during mindfulness meditation.  We also learn to observe our thought patterns without judgement, grasping, or awful-izing.  This is a skill, which like any other takes practice to develop, so don’t beat yourself up if this is really difficult at first.  Try this exercise:  settle into to a comfortable meditation posture, whatever that is for you.  Hold the mudra, and take a few centering breaths. Bring to mind an image of something that makes you happy.  Allow yourself to experience these positive feelings, but without getting completely wrapped up in them. Observe yourself reacting to this image, like you are holding a clipboard and taking notes.  After 3-4 breaths, let the image go.  Now, bring to mind an image that is difficult or challenging for you (start with something minor, not your most difficult challenge in life.  Think  traffic or .) Just like before, allow yourself to experience the negative feelings that arise from contemplating this image, without amplification.  Try to see this experience as it actually is – something you don’t prefer, but that is a minor annoyance that will pass soon enough.  Observe your reaction.  See if you can release the emotions that have arisen. Return your focus to your breath for a minute, then release the mudra and open your eyes.  Notice how you feel, and how that exercise went for you. Keep practicing.

With practice, you may find that this mudra is especially helpful on days when you are experiencing a lot of mental noise pollution.  Medha prana kriya can cut through the din and create a bubble of peace and silence where you can better tune in to your thoughts and feelings.