詳しいガイド（英語）
Meaning and tradition
Padma is Sanskrit for lotus, a flower that grows from mud to open above the water, long used in Indian religions as a symbol of purity and awakening. Padma Mudra is also called the Lotus Mudra. The lotus appears widely in Hindu and Buddhist iconography, and this hand shape is a modern, popularized form of that imagery in yoga and dance traditions rather than a gesture drawn from a specific classical hatha yoga text.
The gesture is not a single-finger elemental mudra. Because it uses the whole hand, it is read as representing all five elements in balance.
How to practice
Sit in Easy Pose, Lotus Pose or Butterfly Pose with a long spine. Bring the hands to the center of the chest with the palms facing each other. Press the heels of the hands together gently, and touch the thumbs together and the little fingers together. Open the index, middle and ring fingers outward like petals.
Hold it in front of the heart. Om Breath or Dirga Breath suits it well. Stay for a few breaths up to five minutes, then close the petals and lower the hands.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the contact soft and the petals relaxed, not stiffly spread.
Remember what touches and what opens. Unlike Anjali Mudra, where the palms and all fingers press together and point straight up, here only the heels, thumbs and little fingers touch while the other three fingers open outward. Unlike Hakini Mudra, where all five fingertips meet and the palms stay apart, here the heels of the hands touch and the index, middle and ring fingers are apart, not touching their partners.
Keep the shoulders down; if the elbows lift, rest them on a prop or lower the hands slightly.
Keep both hands symmetrical, with the open fingers mirroring each other.
Tradition vs. evidence
Padma Mudra’s meaning is symbolic, not physiological, and no research shows it affects health. What is defensible is that a clear, open hand shape at the chest can cue a posture of openness, and pairing it with slow breath or a chant gives attention a steady place to rest.