詳しいガイド（英語）
Meaning and tradition
Bhumisparsha is Sanskrit for touching the earth. The gesture comes from Buddhist iconography: statues and paintings of the Buddha seated with his right hand reaching down to touch the ground depict the moment of his awakening, when he is said to have called the earth to witness. It is a gesture seen in depictions of the Buddha, not a health mudra from the classical hatha yoga texts.
In modern yoga it is borrowed as a seated gesture, and its association with the earth element follows from the hand touching the ground. The left hand resting palm up in the lap echoes the posture shown in the images.
How to practice
Sit in Easy Pose or Lotus Pose with the spine tall. Rest the left hand palm up in the lap. Let the right arm hang over the right knee with the palm turned in, and let the fingertips touch the ground. Raise the ground with a block or blanket if you cannot reach it comfortably.
Breathe slowly through the nose. Dirga Breath gives a steady rhythm. Hold for a few breaths up to five minutes, then return the hand to the lap and repeat on the other side if you like.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the spine upright. Reaching for the floor tends to tip the torso toward the right; stay level and bring the ground up instead.
Know the neighbors. Unlike Varada Mudra, where the open palm faces forward as a gesture of giving, here the palm faces in and the fingertips touch the earth. Unlike Abhaya Mudra, the right hand is lowered rather than raised, and it is not held out in front. Unlike Dhyana Mudra, where both hands rest together in the lap, here only the left hand stays in the lap and the right reaches down.
Keep the shoulders level and the right fingers soft, not pressed hard into the floor.
Tradition vs. evidence
The meaning of this gesture is religious and symbolic, drawn from the story of the Buddha. No research shows that the gesture grounds the mind or the body. What is defensible is that a clear, effortless hand position gives attention something to settle on and pairs well with slow breathing.