Introduction: Hand Yoga Poses for Your Fingers
My hands are so helpful to me on a daily basis, typing emails, fixing dinner, etc. I barely ever think about how hard my hands are working until I develop a sore. I have recently heard that fingers and hands consist of numerous small joints, which need to collaborate with each other, and (such similar things as typing or gardening) can lead to the fact that those joints become worn and torn.
. With time that wear-and-tear may result in arthritis where my fingers stiffen, swell, and ache. Simple yoga-like hand exercises have made some sort of a difference in my life. They are mild to an extent of making it part of my morning routine, but they honestly appear to provide relief.
Demonstrating this with one teacher telling them that it can aid in relieving pain and giving back movement to stiff hands by doing these moves.
. I now apply some daily finger care by stretching and pressing my fingers and I am beginning to feel like the opening of jars or buttoning a shirt has become a little easier.
It has turned out that not all older adults have hand arthritis – there are those who start to show symptoms in their 40s.
. The thing is that, in normal joints bone is also enveloped in smooth cartilage, and cushioned by slippery synovial fluid.
. With the loss of cartilage, bones begin to rub against each other in a painful fashion, the fluid may get sticky and cause swelling and stiffness.
. In addition to medicines or therapeutic procedures, physicians usually prescribe hand exercises that promote flexibility and range of movement.
. I take that advice to heart. By practicing even gentle yoga hand poses, I am literally assisting in the flow of the blood and lubrication of my joints in my fingers and this is most relaxing.
The Healthy Advantages of Yoga To Your Hands.
I believe that yoga is not only good to legs and back, but it is also helpful to hands. I have discovered that there are two huge advantages of practicing hand yoga:
Enhances Flexibility and Joint Mobility.
Stretching my joints through the entire range of motion, even minutes or two of it, is a difference. As a matter of fact, Mayo Clinic reports that hand exercises enhance the flexibility and the range of motion of arthritic people.
. I begin every day by moving and stretching my fingers slowly: it is as though I were rubbing a little oil on rusty hinges. One of the sources states that pushing and bending the fingers and palms can actually make the hand joints start circulating and relieve the stiffness associated with arthritis.
. That is, by continuing to move my fingers, I will keep the healthy cartilage and fluid that my fingers require to move smoothly.
. Some soft circles or stretches in the morning put typing and gripping a good freer.
Enhances Supporting Muscles.
I also found out that the amount of muscle in our hands is not very much. It is really our wrists and forearms that do most of the work.
. That is, in case I perform hand stretches, I will also be using muscles above my wrist. In the long run this strengthens my grip and renders the wrists more stable. The yoga teacher I read about has indicated that hand exercises assist in strengthening muscles that surround the joints, maintain the merits and tendons elastic, and enhancing the generation of synovial fluid.
My 10 Best Hand Yoga Poses (to improve arthritis and mobility).
Allow me to tell you about the top 10 exercises that I engage in on a daily basis. I like them since they are non-equipment based. You can do the greater part out of a chair, or even out of your desk:
Wrist Rotations. Plank your hands straight ahead, palm-down. Take big circles with both hands, one at a time, allowing the fingers to go along with the movement. I would do approximately 5 circles going one direction and 5 going the other. It is so comfortable and actually makes my whole hand warm. (The maneuver promotes movement of the hands and fingers.
Lotus (Prayer) Hands. Bend your palms and press them before the chest (as in prayer pose). And then squeeze your fingers together and pull your palms apart (your fingers are a little spread out). Then squeeze your palms together again then slide your fingers together. Repeat a few times. This stretch and press-release wakes my knuckles and forearms. It is as though I were hugging my fingers, and stretching them simultaneously.
Mirror Fingers. Keep palms at all times together. Spread thumbs with one inhalation, and on an exhale, bring thumbs together. Then the same with index fingers, then middle, ring, little fingers – one set apart on inhalation, the other on exhalation.
. I close with turning back, with pinkies and thumbs. It is enjoyable (and yoga teachers assert that it is good to your brain as well).
!). It literally isolates each finger and makes me feel my fingers working alone.
Duck Foot to Bear Claw Sequence. Extend both arms in front. Breathe and open your fingers (suppose they were webbed, like the foot of a duck). Breath and hook your fingers (as a claw of a bear). Breath again and place fingertips against thumb (as a beak of a bird). lastly spit out of a soft fist with thumb out (as a paw)
. I am wandering out a couple of times with duck-bear-beak-paw. It is ridiculous, but it actually rubs all the parts of hand.
Piano Hands. Suppose you are looking at a piano. Play a song, a very quick one, with all the ten fingers, one after another,–as though you were stroking the keys, and in a hurry.
. Then shake out both hands. This is my personal stress reliever: it immediately helps me to loosen my grip.
Fist Stretch. Start with fingers straight. Wrapping your fingers in a loose fist (keeping the thumb out of the fingers), squeeze a little, then, loosely, bend your fingers back to their original position.
. I repeat 5-10 times per hand. It is one of the exercises in the Mayo Clinic that actually knocks my knuckles.
. Not too hard, I squeeze his fist – to take care not to hurt.
Knuckle Bend. Hold fingers in a straight position. Bend all the joints (knuckles remain extended) to make your fingertips curve inwards toward the palm.
. Wait a moment, and put it straight. Five times per hand makes me believe that I am pushing my individual joints in every finger. Feeling chained, you know, with your fingers.
Thumb to Fingertip Touches. Use your thumb and the end of each finger of the same hand (index, middle, ring, pinky) and shape little O-shapes, one at a time.
. Keep every pinch approximately 2-3 seconds. This makes flexibility in every finger. I always do 3-5 cycles. My hand then begins to feel tingy and loose.
Finger Walk (Up the Thumb). Place hand with palm side on a table. Move slowly with your index finger and point towards your thumb (as though you are walking it). Repeat lifting middle, then ring, then little finger one each time.
. It appears to be quite ridiculous but I realize that it works quite well with shoulder posture as well – I am supposed to keep my arm in one place on the table and move one finger at a time.
Grip Strengthener (Ball/ Towel Squeeze ). In one palm, keeping fingers apart, hold a soft stress ball, rice pack or even a rolled-up towel. Firmly squeeze between 3-5 seconds and release, but spread fingers again. I do 5-10 squeezes each hand. This develops the hand strength and loosens the fingers slightly. (Health experts report that grip exercises will make you rip jars and other objects easier.
.) After a series of squeezes I tend to have a warm and somewhat tired hand – in a good sense, it is becoming stronger.
Regular practice of these hand yoga exercises can be of help. According to one yoga instructor, the moves will circulate the hand joints and alleviate the stiffness and pain that comes with arthritis.
. I practice them either daily (in the process of watching television or during a work break). In several weeks, I could observe that my morning stiffness was reduced, and the fingers became more nimble. My joints became better-oiled and even my grip strength became stronger.
Important Disclaimer
I am not a doctor but I just want to share what has worked with me. In case you have severe arthritis, you have recently injured your hands, or anything serious, please consult a medical worker before attempting new exercises.
And all this must be natural: it should not pain. In case any movement results in sharp pains or tingling, then stop. Mayo Clinic recommends hand exercises to be done slowly and with smooth movements and to cease the movement in case of pain.
. In my case, little sips of movement are preferable to massive strides. In addition, a yoga teacher warns that they are not a replacement of medicine and should be used mindfully, and, in case of necessity, with the assistance of a teacher or a doctor.
. Be mindful to your body and take your time. I am aiming to make my hands less sore, though I am doing this more as a routine to take care of them, not as a miracle medicine.