Hands in Yoga

I recently went to the Opening of an interesting Art Exhibition called a Show of Hands on at Chapel off Chapel for the next couple of weeks. In it the artist Jacqui Grantford paints the hands of a range of people – old, young, famous, everyday – and beside each painting is the subject’s personal story many of which I found inspirational and moving.

It got me thinking about hands in yoga, an aspect of the body which can sometimes get overlooked. We use them in classes to balance and suport and to fold across our bodies in relaxation. Maybe, though, we should concentrate more on taking each pose right out through the ends of our finger tips, stretching and reaching for the whole body exercise. Our hands after all are one of our main sources of interaction with the world through touch, dexterity and movement.  To a palmist they also carry our lifestory and to a forsenic scientist our unique identity markers.

Perhaps then it is time to have a long overdue conversation with your hands and thank them for all they help you achieve in the course of a day. Take a look at them, give them a stretch and a shake and then use them to pat yourself on the back.