🤲Illustration coming soonHeels of the hands touch, thumbs touch and little fingers touch; the index, middle and ring fingers OPEN OUTWARD like lotus petals. Held at the heart.
Padma Mudra
Padma Mudrā
PAHD-mah MOO-drah
DevotionalElement: balance of all five
Padma Mudra (Padma Mudrā) is a devotional hand mudra formed with the open lotus, associated with balance of all five.
Padma Mudra holds the hands at the heart with heels, thumbs and little fingers touching while the other three fingers open like lotus petals. Tradition uses it for devotion and openness.
The gesture
The gesture
Heels of the hands touch, thumbs touch and little fingers touch; the index, middle and ring fingers OPEN OUTWARD like lotus petals. Held at the heart.
Fingers
open lotus
Element
balance of all five
Palm
facing each other, open
Hands
both
Hold for
a few breaths to 5 minutes
Also called
Lotus Mudra
How to do Padma Mudra
Sit in Easy Pose, Lotus Pose or Butterfly Pose with the spine tall.
Bring both hands to the center of the chest, palms facing each other, elbows relaxed and slightly out.
Press the heels of the hands together lightly, and touch the thumbs and the little fingers together.
Open the index, middle and ring fingers outward and apart like petals, keeping them relaxed and slightly curved.
Hold the shape in front of the heart, thumbs resting near the chest.
Breathe slowly for a few breaths up to 5 minutes, with the gaze soft or the eyes closed.
Release by closing the petals, lowering the hands and shaking them out.
Quick check: do you know this mudra?
Benefits
Traditionally used as a gesture of openness, devotion and purity, echoing the lotus.
Said to be used for opening the heart in seated meditation.
Practitioners use it as a visual and physical anchor during slow breathing or chanting.
Common in Hindu and Buddhist iconography, where the lotus is a central symbol.
When to use it
Use it at the start or end of a seated practice, during chanting, or briefly at the heart when you want an open, devotional gesture.
Cautions
Hold lightly; stop if the fingers, wrists or shoulders tire or ache.
Rest the elbows on the thighs or a cushion if the arms fatigue.
Do not force the fingers to spread if you have arthritis or limited mobility; open them only as far as is comfortable.
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.
Honest note: hand mudras have very little clinical research behind them. What is defensible is that a held gesture is a reliable anchor for attention and pairs naturally with slow breathing; the traditional claims are described here as tradition, not as medical advice.