A Mudra to Make You Smile
‘You are doing your best and that is enough’
These words moved quietly through my mind as I sat on my meditation cushion, tears running down my cheeks.
For much of my life I have ‘tried hard’, making things happen, going above and beyond, always reliable, ready to take the lead, never letting anyone down.
Even my home practice had become something I had to do well, often overthinking what was needed for a given day. Should I be doing more? Am I doing too much? Is this the right way? Oh, the questions were endless!
But then the words came as I sat, ruminating on my cushion …
‘You are doing your best and that is enough’.
Such simple and ordinary words, but they arrived with such a deep resonance. Reminding me by just being here for my practice, holding space for me is all I need to do.
It is enough, that is all that is needed.
And if doing my best is enough, then perhaps who I am is enough?
not having to change or improve who I am, but rather giving myself the sacred space to welcome, acknowledge and feel all that I am.
To feel the ‘me’ that is exhausted, unsteady, critical, resentful, and to also feel the ‘me’ that is relaxed, playful, poised, strong.
Many of these feelings within me which I have tried to avoid, doubt, or change, but undeniably they are all an inherent part of who I am.
‘You are doing your best and that is enough.’
By embracing and accepting all that I am, knowing that I am doing my best, helps me remember how beautifully ‘human’ I am.
Welcoming all of me. Feeling all of me. Accepting all of me.
For contentment, harmony, and balance is only found in the whole. Like the light and the dark, the yin and the yang, one cannot be known without the other.
So perhaps my greatest sense of self-value and self-belief can only be realised when I welcome and relax into all that I feel, to offer my gifts and abilities to others with humility and love, and whole-heartedly acknowledge that doing my best is enough.
Could this be the greatest gift we could offer ourselves ?
What would your life look like if ‘doing your best’ was enough?
Who would you be if you knew you were enough?
Inner Smile Mudra - Hansi Mudra - Udana Vayu Mudra
Inner Smile Mudra
To help me amplify feelings of ‘enoughness’ and connect me to an inner joy and contentment, I have been using a beautiful hand mudra called the Inner Smile Mudra. This mudra is also known as Hamsi Mudra, and Udana Vayu Mudra.
The mudra affects the flow of energy from the navel up into the heart and throat, and is believed to stimulate the production of the happy hormone, seratonin, in the body.
To practice the mudra, bring the tips of your index finger, middle finger, and ring finger to touch the tip of the thumb, while extending the little finger. Rest the back of both hands on your thighs and take some long slow deep breaths. Notice how your body feels and notice the thoughts moving through your mind and keep bringing yourself back to presence every time you notice your attention has wandered. Rest here for 5-10 minutes. You may begin to feel a sense of contentment, calm and happiness wash through you and maybe even sense a little smile on your face!
‘You are doing your best and that is enough.’
I will soon be releasing a short video practice which explores the Inner Smile mudra in more depth in my Online Membership.
The video practice will include simple movement to get you out of your head and back into your body, a powerful mantra to amplify your ‘enoughness’, and an easy method to ‘supercharge’ your Inner Smile mudra.
Take a look at the Online Membership here. The Online Membership is a wonderful resource to help you find calm and clarity on a daily basis as I guide you through simple yoga-inspired practices to weave into you day. Wonderful value for money (less than $9 a week!), you can access a free 7 day trial, and cancel anytime.
I would love to see you in there 🧡