Have you noticed in class I keep saying to press in to your index finger and thumb when your hands our on the floor?
In fact, there’s a lot to think about when it comes to your hands, whether you’re in a handstand, down dog, plank or cobra pose. How you use your hands affects your wrists and consequently elbows and shoulders.
To see what I mean, try this experiment:
- Start on your hands and knees. Knees under hips and hands under shoulders.
- Stay there for a few breathes and then think about how you’re hands, wrists and shoulders feel.
- Now, spread your fingers. Aim to have your index or middle finger more or less pointing straight ahead.
- Press into your fingers and the base of your fingers (or the top of your palm). Press hard enough that you almost start to see the bed of your finger nails turn white.
- Now make an effort to press firmly into your thumb and index finger, while still keeping pressure evenly in your hands.
- Notice a small gap underneath the heel of your hand and the floor.
- Now, what do your hands, wrists and shoulders feel like?
The point is to be intentional when we put weight onto our hands and try to activate our muscles instead of letting our joints do all the work of holding us up. Doesn’t make sense? No worries, come to class and ask me for more details.
Finger strength when putting weight in your hands
