I'll stand up and admit it- when driving, I suffer mildly from road rage.

I usually hold myself in check and have never gone so far as to beat someone up.

But when cut off by another driver or when faced with another motorist who is driving in the middle of two lanes, my first reaction is to raise a rude finger and flip them the bird.

In a recent incident, I was forced to re-evaluate that reaction.

I'd never thought of it as a dangerous thing -flipping someone off, after all, doesn't really stray beyond the realm of rudeness and letting off some steam.

But a couple of months ago,when driving on the CTE, I was cut off by a mother who was driving her young son somewhere.

I beeped my horn,flipped her off and drove away.

But she surprised me by speeding up to me, blaring her horn and giving me the finger before driving away.

I was shocked. What if she had, in her anger, had an accident and crashed while trying to catch up? And is it right
to be flipping someone off in front of your child?

But I do take full responsibility for the incident.

The finger-flip is essentially a hand gesture which can unleash so much ill-will and potential misfortune.

A friend reminded me that our hands are our interfaces with the world. We use them in almost every situation we are in.

We can use them to touch with love, or to strike out in anger.

We use our hands so often, but so unconsciously, my friend added.

Luckily, there are ways to remedy this.

Hand positions, according to yogic traditions, can be used to direct the mind to a particular state, causing great shifts in mood or consciousness. Called mudras in Buddhist and Hindu philosophy, these hand gestures can be used in almost any situation.

After the car incident, I began exploring mudras, just to see what they might bring me.

There's the universal prayer position, which is used in both Western and Eastern cultures.

In either culture, it is used in appeal or acknowledgement to a higher power, and is a symbol which is meant to seal your connection to the divine.

I began trying this after each yoga class, and found that in acknowledging myself and my own efforts, I began to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of others around me more -even at work.

I wasn't angry when colleagues were a little slower than I would have liked in handing in a work- instead, I saw their commitment to being accurate, and in taking time to structure their work so it came out right.

There are various mudras meant to symbolise openness and acceptance, even ones that are supposed to be good in
times of loneliness and despair.

Here's the thing about hands- use them right, and they can be used to cultivate goodness,not negativity.

And if hands can be used to invoke a change in you from within, perhaps they can bring about change in your world, and even in the people who inhabit your world as well.

So, what will I do when another driver inevitably angers me on the road? I intend to smile, and flash them the peace

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