Yoga For Your Hands!

At Kenston Middle School I remember my art teacher guiding us to draw each and every line we saw on our hands.  Every wrinkle in our fingerprint.  The small white crescents at the base of our finger nails.  Studying them intently, we came up with 6th grade masterpieces.  And truly they were beautiful pictures – and a beautiful self-study of these so often used and so often taken for granted parts of our bodies.

Our hands hold and hug, high five and wave hello… These are our expressions of love and compassion.  Our physical connection to so much of the world.  And we have some yoga just for them, called mudras.

A mudra can be practiced sitting (like in Virasana), standing, or lying down.  Use this mudra to really get to know your fingers.  Feel the texture of your skin.  Maybe even give yourself a little hand massage with coconut oil.  Feel the heat of your body where your fingers touch.  Notice as much as you can about your hands as you set up the gesture.  We practice mindfulness by becoming intimately aware of our body’s details.  Connecting these pressure points in our fingers will invite energy to circulate in our bodies – this one is to pump up our life force and encourage healing!

Prana Mudra

Find a quiet space to comfortably sit/stand/lie down.  Get settled in here with candles or soft music or just a cozy space.  One hand at a time, bring the tips of your ring and pinky fingers to touch your thumb.  Bring your first two fingers together and keep them straight.  Do the same with the second hand.  Rest your arms at your sides or on your legs and feel free to close your eyes.  Practice your form of meditation or practice deep even breathing through your nose.  Give yourself 5-25 minutes to soak up the energy moving in your body.  Give thanks for this time to care for yourself today!