The simplest meditation hand position is also the one most teachers recommend first: rest your hands on your thighs, palms up or palms down, or fold them loosely in your lap. Insight Meditation Center recommends “any position where the arms and hands can be relaxed, often palms up or down on your thighs or folded on your lap.” If you want a traditional hold, the Zen cosmic mudra (left hand resting in the right, thumb tips lightly touching) is the one most beginners learn. What matters is that your shoulders and arms can stay relaxed for the whole sit.
This guide is part of our meditation seating series. For the full posture, from hips and spine to eyes, start with the pillar guide to how to sit for meditation. Hands sit on top of whatever seat you use, so if you are still choosing one, see the zafu and zabuton guide or our guide to meditating in a chair.
Meditation Hand Positions at a Glance
| Position | How to do it | Where it comes from | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hands on thighs | Let the hands drop onto the tops of the legs, palms up or down | General instruction in Insight Meditation Center and Mindful guides | Beginners, chairs, any tradition |
| Folded in the lap | One hand resting loosely in the other, near the belly | Insight Meditation Center | Anyone whose hands drift on the thighs |
| Cosmic mudra (hokkai-join) | Left hand palm up on the right palm, thumb tips lightly touching, in front of the navel | Soto Zen zazen instructions | Zen practice, staying alert |
| Dhyana mudra | Both hands in the lap, palms up, one resting on the other | Buddhist art and practice; “dhyana” is Sanskrit for meditation | Seated meditation |
| Thumb and index finger touching (jnana or chin mudra) | Tip of thumb and index finger touch to form a circle, hand resting on the knee or thigh | Indian yoga and Buddhist traditions | Yoga-style seated practice |
| Anjali (palms together) | Palms pressed together in front of the chest | A gesture of reverence; in Zen, a bow in gassho | Opening and closing a session |
The traditional meanings below are what each tradition says a gesture represents. They are symbols, not techniques with a physical effect, and you do not need any of them to meditate well.
Where Should You Put Your Hands When Meditating?
On your thighs or in your lap. That is the honest answer for most people, and it is the default in the teaching sources we checked. Mindful gives a simple way to find the spot: “Situate your upper arms parallel to your upper body. Then let your hands drop onto the tops of your legs.” It adds that hands placed “too far forward will make you hunch. Too far back will make you stiff.”
Whichever position you choose, run three quick checks:
- Shoulders down. If your shoulders creep up toward your ears, your hands are too high or too far forward.
- Arms resting, not held. The weight of your forearms should be supported by your legs or lap, not by your shoulder muscles.
- Support if needed. Insight Meditation Center notes that “if there is neck, mid-back or shoulder strain, a small cushion can be placed under the folded hands.” A folded blanket works too.
Hands on Your Thighs: Palms Up or Palms Down?
Either is fine. Insight Meditation Center lists both, “palms up or down on your thighs,” without ranking them, and so does our pillar guide. Try each for a few sessions and keep the one you notice least. If you are on a seiza bench or kneeling, the thighs slope down, so resting the hands closer to the hips usually stops them sliding toward the knees.
The Cosmic Mudra (Zen Hand Position)
The cosmic mudra is the hand position of zazen, Zen sitting meditation. The Soto Zen guide to zazen describes it this way: “Place your right hand, palm-up, on your left foot, and your left hand palm-up on your right palm. The tips of your thumbs should be lightly touching each other. This is called Cosmic Mudra (hokkai-join).” It then says to place “the tips of your thumbs in front of your navel, and your arms slightly apart from your body.”
Step by step:
- Rest your right hand in your lap, palm up.
- Lay your left hand on top of it, palm up, so the knuckles of the two hands roughly overlap.
- Let the thumb tips touch lightly. Empty Bowl Zendo describes them “forming a horizontal oval.”
- Rest the edges of your little fingers against your belly, a few inches below the navel, as Empty Bowl Zendo describes.
- Let your elbows hang slightly away from your sides.
Empty Bowl Zendo calls this “the mudra of zazen, in which all things are unified.” There is also a practical side. Insight Meditation Center suggests holding the thumbs touching when you are prone to sleepiness, because “when you are beginning to lose consciousness and drift off, the thumbs will pull apart and that will wake you up.” We use the same trick in our guide to meditating lying down.
Free Meditation Guide
Get our 20-page beginner's guide with 5 techniques
and a 7-day meditation challenge.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Which hand goes on top?
In the Soto Zen instructions, Empty Bowl Zendo and Lion’s Roar, it is the left hand resting on the right. Insight Meditation Center frames it by handedness instead: “the dominant hand held palm up holding the other hand,” so for a right-handed person the left hand rests on top, which gives the same result. Sources on Buddhist art describe the dhyana mudra of statues the other way round, with the right hand resting on the left (Wikipedia’s mudra article summarizes this). If you are practicing with a particular group, follow their instruction. If you are on your own, pick one and keep it consistent.
Dhyana Mudra: The Meditation Gesture in Buddhist Art
A mudra is, in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art definition, “a symbolic gesture of the hands or pose of the whole body found in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain art.” Britannica adds that the word means “seal,” “mark,” or “gesture,” and that the mudras shown in sculpture and painting are “relatively restricted in number,” while those used in dance and ritual run into the hundreds.
Dhyana is the Sanskrit word for “meditation” (National Museum of Asian Art), and the dhyana mudra is the hands-in-lap gesture you see on seated Buddha figures: both hands palms up in the lap, one on the other, with the thumbs facing diagonally upward toward each other so that the hands form a triangle, as Wikipedia’s summary describes it. The Zen cosmic mudra is a close relative. If you rest your hands in your lap in any palms-up fold, you are already close to it.
Thumb and Index Finger Touching (Jnana or Chin Mudra)
This is the position most people picture when they think of meditation: the thumb and index fingertip touching to form a small circle, the other fingers relaxed, the back of the hand resting on the knee or thigh. In yoga it is usually called jnana mudra, the “mudra of wisdom” (as Wikipedia’s mudra article translates it), and you will also hear it called chin mudra. Names overlap: Wikipedia gives chin mudra as another name for vitarka mudra, the Buddhist teaching gesture, which joins the thumb and index finger in the same way with the hand raised. So do not worry if two classes label it differently.
How to hold it comfortably:
- Touch the fingertips lightly. Pressing them together builds tension in the hand and forearm within a few minutes.
- Let the other three fingers relax and curl naturally rather than holding them straight.
- Rest the wrist or back of the hand on the thigh, not out on the kneecap, so the arm is supported and the shoulders stay down.
You will see many claims online that this or other finger mudras change your energy, health or mood. We have not found reliable evidence for those claims, so we do not repeat them here. Use the gesture because it helps you sit still and pay attention, or because it is part of a tradition you practice.
Other Mudras You May See
These are mostly gestures of Buddhist and Hindu art rather than positions for everyday sitting practice, but they come up often enough to be worth recognizing:
- Anjali mudra (palms together). Britannica describes it as joining “two hands before him, palm to palm, slightly cupped, in a gesture of respectful adoration (comparable to the Western gesture of prayer).” In Zen the same shape is gassho; the Soto Zen guide tells you to “bow in gassho” when you finish zazen. Many people use it to open or close a session rather than to hold it throughout.
- Bhumisparsha mudra (touching the earth). The Smithsonian glossary describes “a gesture with fingers pointing downward, symbolizing the moment when the Buddha attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree” (National Museum of Asian Art).
- Abhaya mudra (fear not). An “open-palmed hand gesture seen on Hindu and Buddhist images that means “fear not”” (National Museum of Asian Art). It is a raised hand, so it is a gesture of images, not a sitting position.
- Shashu (walking meditation). For kinhin, Zen walking meditation, the Soto Zen guide says to walk “holding your hand in shashu position,” a hold your teacher or sangha will show you. Our guide to walking meditation covers the practice itself.
Hand Positions for Chairs, Benches and Lying Down
| Seat | Easiest hand position | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Chair | Hands on thighs, or cosmic mudra in the lap (Soto Zen says to hold the cosmic mudra in a chair too) | Hands sliding toward the knees and pulling you forward |
| Kneeling bench | Hands on the upper thighs near the hips, or folded in the lap | Sloping thighs; rest the hands higher up |
| Cushion (cross-legged) | Cosmic mudra resting on the feet or a small cushion in the lap (Soto Zen places the right hand on the left foot) | Hands too low, which rounds the shoulders |
| Lying down | Hands on the belly or at your sides; thumbs touching if you tend to doze | Falling asleep; see the lying-down guide |
The Soto Zen guide gives the chair instruction directly: “Hold your hands in your lap in the Cosmic Mudra (hokkai-join).” For seat heights and setup, see the meditation chair guide and the meditation bench guide.
Common Hand Problems and Quick Fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulders ache after 10 minutes | Hands held up without support | Rest them on the thighs, or put a folded blanket or small cushion under the folded hands |
| Hands keep sliding off the knees | Thighs slope down, or hands placed too far forward | Bring the hands back toward the hips |
| Hands or forearms feel tense | Pressing fingertips or thumbs together hard | Touch lightly; let the fingers relax |
| Thumbs keep drifting apart | Drowsiness | Open the eyes a little, sit more upright, or take a short break |
| You keep adjusting your hands | The position is not comfortable for you | Switch to hands on thighs and stop thinking about them |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it matter what you do with your hands when meditating?
Less than most beginners think. The main job of the hands is to stay still and let the shoulders relax. A traditional mudra can help you notice when your attention fades, but hands resting on your thighs are a complete, legitimate choice.
What does it mean when your thumb and finger touch in meditation?
It is a mudra, usually called jnana mudra, the “mudra of wisdom,” and often chin mudra. It is a traditional symbol from Indian-origin religions and yoga. You can use it, but you do not need it to meditate.
Should palms face up or down?
Both are taught. Pick whichever lets your arms relax and you forget about your hands.
Can I interlace my fingers?
Yes, if it is comfortable. Loosely clasped or interlaced hands resting in the lap are a variation of the folded-hands position. If your fingers start to grip, rest the hands apart on your thighs instead.
Where to Go Next
Hands are the finishing touch on a posture that starts with your seat. For the full picture, read our meditation posture guide. To choose the seat itself, see the meditation cushion guide, the kneeling bench guide and our guide to meditating in a chair; for days you need to lie down, read can you meditate lying down. Then put it to use with the 5-minute meditation for beginners.
This article is general information about meditation posture and the traditional meaning of hand gestures, not medical advice. Meditation and mindfulness practices “usually are considered to have few risks,” according to the NCCIH, which also advises: “Don’t use meditation or mindfulness to replace conventional care or as a reason to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.” If you have pain or numbness in your hands, wrists or shoulders, check with a qualified professional.