In this practice we will shift the centre of experience from the head to the hands which will help facilitate a greater sense of calm and equanimity.
Begin by holding your hands out in front of you and practice seeing your hands. Notice all the detail – colour, shape, lines, patterns. Look, as if you were seeing your hands for the first time. Notice where ‘the looker’ is located (behind the eyes). Get a sense of this perspective.
Next place the hands palms down on your lap. Consciously shift from seeing your hands to feeling your hands. What sensations do you notice?
Now notice where you are perceiving from. Are you observing your hands from the same place that you were previously looking at your hands? See if you can shift your awareness inside the hands so that you are inhabiting the hands, experiencing from within the aliveness of the hands.
Next, slowly turn the palms upwards and see if you notice any shift in your experience. Raise the arms out straight with the palms facing each other. Flood the palms with awareness for 5 seconds before shifting awareness to the space between the palms. Can you, with as little effort as possible, sense into this empty space? What is that experience like?
Throughout the next day or week see if you can return your awareness to your hands as often as you remember it. It might be while typing, eating, cleaning, gardening etc. Just simply become aware of the aliveness within the hands and what the hands are in touch with for 10 seconds or more.