From Mud to Bloom: The Heart‑Lotus & Lotus (Padma/Kamalā) Mudra

Inside Buddhi Sangha, we use mudras, also known as energetic seals.  Mudras are energy circuits of the subtle channels in our physical and energy bodies.

In our current sadhana, we use the lotus as a symbol to remember what practice is for: to stay rooted in real life while we open to the light of awareness; to let emotions move through rather than get stuck; to cultivate discernment (buddhi) and choose right action (dharma). The lotus image holds all of that in one simple flower.

Across cultures—ancient Asia to Egypt—the lotus has carried meanings of awakening, rebirth, beauty, grace, and compassion. It rises from dark water and unfolds in daylight, then closes again at night. The point isn’t perfection; it’s participation in life’s cycles while remaining inwardly clear.

“The lotus grows in muddy waters but this flower does not show any trace of it: so we have to live in the world.”
— B.K.S. Iyengar

Why the Lotus Matters (Now)

The revered lotus grows in mud, pushes through water, and blossoms in open air—rooted yet rising. That’s an image we train into our nervous system: grounded in the world and its responsibilities, yet oriented toward clarity and kindness. The daily rhythm of the lotus—closing at night, opening at dawn—reminds us that contraction and expansion are both part of practice. Nothing is wrong with you when you feel yourself close; it’s an invitation to soften open again.

“I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained.”
— Zhou Dunyi

The Tantric Teaching: Honor Both Dark and Light

One of the lotus’ primary teachings is inclusivity. The mud is not a mistake; it’s the nutrient. A Tantric view affirms the whole of life: we are nourished by the dark and revealed by the light. Even the lotus dips toward the water each night. We don’t identify only with “light” experiences or use practice to bypass the rest.

“I am blooming from the wound where I once bled.”
— Rune Lazuli

About spiritual bypassing

The term “spiritual bypassing” was coined by John Welwood (1984) to describe using spiritual ideas and practices to avoid facing unresolved pain. As Robert Augustus Masters defines it:

“the use of spiritual practices and beliefs to avoid dealing with our painful feelings, unresolved wounds, and developmental needs.”

The lotus reminds us not to sidestep the mud. We feel what comes, we contain it in awareness, and we let the heart digest it into wisdom.

The Heart‑Lotus in Tantric Anatomy

In nondual Tantra, the “energy body” isn’t a weird add‑on; it names the lived interface of mind, emotion, and physiology. You already feel it—heartbreak’s ache, love’s swell, the “butterflies” before a risk. The heart center is central because it’s where experience becomes intimacy with life.

A classic image says that for many of us the heart‑lotus is closed or turned downward. Practice nourishes it, and over time, the lotus turns upward and unfolds. Each petal represents a bhāva—a mood or emotional tone. We don’t have to act on every feeling; we welcome what appears, let it move through, and in that welcoming, we discover discernment and right action.

“It’s the seat of bodhisattvas, and buddhas, and those who have refined their consciousness to a state where they can root themselves in life’s muddy soil and use its fertility, as compost to blossom the soul.”
— Sally Kempton

What the Lotus Evokes

Rather than a checklist, think of these as facets that show up at different seasons of practice: purity and peace without perfectionism; grace, beauty, and love that come from honesty; wisdom, knowledge, and discernment aligned with rebirth, renewal, and personal growth; resilience that turns difficulty into creative expression; devotion, compassion, and the sacred feminine; prosperity and sun‑ward vitality that don’t deny the dark; an affirmation of both dark and light as the soil and sunlight of awakening.

Living the Image

The lotus teaches that the personal evolutionary path isn’t always easy, but it is deeply human. We’re asked to show up with willingness, practice steadily, and blossom in the midst of work, caregiving, bills, joy, grief, all of it.  When we honor what we feel without dumping it on others, the heart refines experience into buddhi and guides us toward dharma - right action.

Root your feet in the mud. Open to the light. Bloom here.

How do you practice Lotus Mudra?

Here is a step by step and position, breath, and how long to hold it. There are many ways to practice, but here is a simple way to do it right now. 

Hand position (at heart center)

1. Touch the heels of the palms together.

2. Let thumbs and little fingers meet.

3. Spread the other fingers like petals (palms form a cup).

Breath & awareness (1–3 minutes)

• Inhale: sense an inner lotus gently opening.

• Exhale: let it soften a little (not shut), so the heart feels safe.

• Rest attention in the center of the lotus.

Timing: Start with 6–12 slow breaths (≈1–3 minutes). Extend to 5 minutes as comfortable. Practice as a way to focus your awareness before meditation, after a hard moment, on waking, or before sleep.

Common refinements: Relax shoulders/jaw; avoid locking elbows; keep wrists neutral.

Join the Practice

This season in Buddhi Sangha’s Abundance Sādhana, we’ll be returning to Lotus Mudra as a daily anchor and use it in different ways in our practice. If you’re ready to cultivate a steady heart and clear seeing—without bypassing the real—join us. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are mudras in yoga, and how do they affect the subtle body and consciousness?

Mudrās are intentional “energy seals”—hand gestures or whole‑body positions that shape the subtle body (how breath, emotion, and attention flow) and refine consciousness. By combining gesture with breath and awareness, mudrās can help steady the nervous system, focus the mind, and invite qualities like compassion or clarity. We use them to let experience move through rather than get stuck. Inside Buddhi Sangha, we weave mudrās into meditation, mindful movement, kriyā, and prāṇāyāma to guide energy with precision and care.

2) What is Lotus Mudra (Padma/Kamalā)?

Lotus Mudra (Sanskrit: Padma or Kamalā) is held at the heart. It symbolizes rising from life’s “mud” with resilience, purity of awareness, compassion, and discernment. In Tantric imagery—and in Lakshmi’s iconography—the lotus roots in the dark, grows through water, and opens in light. The teaching: include both dark and light; let the heart transform experience into wisdom.

3) What are the benefits of Lotus Mudra for the heart chakra, emotional flow, and meditation—and are there any contraindications?

Potential benefits (reported by practitioners):

• Supports the heart center (Anāhata) with feelings of warmth, compassion, and connection.

• Encourages emotional flow—feeling fully without flooding or shutdown.

• Helps settle attention for meditation; pairs well with slow nasal breathing.

• Cultivates discernment (buddhi) and right action (dharma) by meeting experience with kindness.

Contraindications & care:

• Wrist/hand pain, recent injury, or inflammatory conditions: modify (fingertips touch lightly or rest hands on chest).

• Shoulder sensitivity: keep elbows low

• Trauma‑sensitivity: keep eyes open with soft gaze towards the heart, shorten duration, and stop if overwhelmed.
  Mudrās are contemplative tools, not medical treatment—seek professional guidance for clinical concerns.