Hands to Heart

I think sometimes we forget that some of the most basic things we do in yoga are devotional in nature. Meaning, they are designed to generate feelings of love.
 
Take, for example, Anjali mudra, sometimes called hands to heart, or Namaskar mudra.

The Sanskrit word mudra means seal. Mudras are kind of like “Hand yoga.” They are gestures or hand positions that leave an imprint on our psyche, like a wax seal.
 
Because it’s so commonly practiced, it’s easy to forget that Anjali mudra is a gesture of honor, reverence, and loving connection. We can direct it toward others, as in greeting someone with Namaste or Namaskar. But we can also direct the energy of Anjali mudra toward ourselves. In this way, it becomes a simple practice of self-honoring.
 
One of the marks of a seasoned yogi is the ability to find freshness, relevance, and meaning in even the most common gestures, actions, and poses.
 
Not letting the things we do over and over in yoga become rote, dry, and mechanical is a skill. It's how we get to drill deeper. It's how we get to experience their potency again, and again, and again, always as new, and therefore, alive and significant.