Andrew Huberman, a famous neuroscientist, described how making a fist sends a signal to the brain thence through the body to tense up and prepare for fight or flight. So, unclench your fists to begin to relax.
Which reminded me of Henri Nouwen’s marvelous little book With Open Hands.
People often are concerned with posture during meditation or prayer. Maybe they’ve seen photos of an old guru or a famous movie star sitting cross-legged (we call it lotus or half-lotus position in Yoga, not easy for everyone to get into) with hands resting on knees and the tips of thumb and second finger touching (called “completing the energy circuit”).
Forget all that. You can sit on a cushion on the floor or on a firm chair with an upright posture engaging strong abs. The important thing is what we learned from Huberman and Nouwen. Unclench your fists and open your hands. Now you will be in a more relaxed posture and a more inviting one. It signals the body and the mind that now I’m open to God. I am ready to receive God’s blessing or nudging or whatever the spirit feels I need for the day.
With open hands.

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