Five Finger Meditation

When you hear the word meditation, what comes to mind? A very skinny monk sitting in lotus position on a Himalayan mountain top? A few years ago, that was my mental image. I thought that in order to be good at meditation, I needed to escape my day to day and probably travel to some exotic location to have a shot at inner peace. 

What I know now, with many years of practice, is that there is no such thing as "being good" at meditation and that every single moment is an opportunity to meditate. Truly. One of my favorite ways to meditate is the five finger meditation and I do it often, though you would never know. The beauty of this meditation technique is that it is a quick internal reset and it can be done at any time and anywhere. Here's how I practice. 

Simply press each finger into your thumb, starting with the pointer and working your way to the pinkie. In yoga, these hand gestures are called mudras and each mudra has special significance. When these gestures are done together, it is both calming and grounding. I like to internally repeat a simple four word mantra as I practice. So, with each thumb to finger press, I say a different word in my head. A few of my favorites are: 

Peace. Begins. With. Me.

I. See. The. Light.

I. Celebrate. Small. Things,

Grateful. For. Every. Challenge.

Breathe. In. Breathe. Out.

I. Am. A. Badass. 

Create your own mantra depending on what you need to hear. Get clear about what words resonate with you and see what happens when you practice the five finger meditation. I'm not promising enlightenment, but I'll put my money on a moment of peace.