Ganesha Mudra Helps Me Get Out of My Own Way

Is life kinda feeling like an obstacle course lately? It’s been a year, that’s for sure, and it still feels like I’m alternately dangling for dear life on the monkey bars or doing a belly-crawl slog through the mud pit. The important thing is maintaining a (generally) forward direction – even if it’s slow going.

When I need a kick in the pants, the Ganesha hand mudra (see little video at end of post) is a go-to in my practice. Mudra translates as “seal” or “gesture” – in this case of the hands in a certain position. The practice of mudras isn’t like rocking Sirsasana (headstand) or some other “advanced” posture. Mudras are all about the flow of energy through the subtle body and accessing the power within.

This mudra is simple but powerful (and often the most powerful things are the simplest, don’t you find?). The smooth motion of sliding the palms against each other and then feeling the firm lock of my hands into place is both uplifting and grounding.

Ganesha (or Ganesh), with his elephant head and potbelly, is the Hindu god of beginnings. When the world or life in general seems to be throwing the kitchen sink at you, the ability to stay supple – with beginner’s mind – is all the more important: to begin again, and again, and again.

Ganesha is “the remover of obstacles.” While we can certainly visualize the elephant removing anything physically in his path (which has its uses), most of my obstacles are of the mental variety. And so I think of how we know elephants to be both wise and empathetic. Ganesha gets where he needs to go, but not through brute strength. I know I can get there, too, if I get out of my own way. It reminds me of that prayer that most folks call the “serenity prayer.” For me, though, the wisdom is where it’s at.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

The courage to change the things I can;

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Keep going!