A mudra (/muˈdrɑː/ ( listen); Sanskrit मुद्रा, “seal”, “mark”, or “gesture”; Tibetan: ཕྱག་རྒྱ་ THL chakgya) is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers.

I’m interested in the mudra as form, as gesture, as cultural appropriation by the west through yoga and meditation, and the history of the hand as a subject of fine and classical art and study in drawing, painting, and sculpture.