palms pressed together

I did another retreat with the lovely Heather Ruce yesterday to honor the threshold of a new year, and I love how she integrates sacred gestures into her work.

Sacred gestures connect us with the body's intelligence through ancient and intuitive movements, which seem to carry their own energetic signatures. These are simple postures or gestures that our collective bodies have done for generations and generations and generations across cultures and traditions.

bowing our head
putting our hands over our heart
opening our arms wide
clasping our hands together

And each of these gestures can carry a spiritual substance or resonance—things like mercy, conscious attention, or surrender. 

I've started paying more attention to those moments when I'm naturally drawn to one of these gestures—when a friend tells me something touching and I move my hands to my heart, when I'm out walking and suddenly need to spread out my arms, or when I find myself wanting to bow to the sunset (and I do!). 

During the retreat yesterday Heather asked if there's a gesture we want to bring into the new year.

I decided that the gesture I'm being drawn to right now is standing tall with palms pressed together over my heart. 

To me, this gesture represents presence and gathered attention. Sensing my feet on the ground and my palms meeting over my chest, it feels like something deep within me is kind of clicking into place. I am here.

What do you think? 

If this speaks to you, what sacred gesture do you intuitively already practice? Does your body feel drawn toward a specific gesture these days? And if so, what is the energetic resonance for you within that gesture?  

With care,
Brianna

p.s. The drawing is from my notes—a very intricate visual for you! :)