Welcome to HHAPY Newsletter #10!

Today we continue on to the third piece in the 4-part series we began last month, where I am sharing with you my 4 Rules of Thumb that I share with every person who attends a yoga class with me for the first time. (And as many of you know, I repeat them often in each practice.) While they are universal principles of any asana practice, they serve as the foundation of my personal style of teaching.

So, without further ado...

#3 - Spread Your Fingers Wide ~ Whenever we bear weight on our hands (when we are on all fours, in Downward Dog, in Plank and others related poses), it is important to spread your fingers wide in order to keep your palms as flat as possible on your mat. This spreading of the fingers activates many small muscles in our hands, wrists, and forearms, which strengthens them and helps keep them healthy so they are less likely to cause pain or be injured by the weight bearing.

Most of us throughout a yoga practice often forget to continue this effort (just like we forget to breathe or engage our belly)...so be patient with yourself...this is called a practice for a reason. 😉 When we do forget to spread our fingers wide when bearing weight on our hands, our knuckles come up off the floor and some space is created between our palm and the mat. This is what we want to avoid. Another reason this is undesirable is because the lifting of the knuckles causes more even extension of the wrist while bearing weight, and that can cause pain in the wrist and/or heel of the hand...and finally, that lifting of the knuckles often causes us to put more weight into the heel of the hand (undesirable), whereas spreading our fingers literally spreads out our weight across the whole hand (desirable)! 😃

So to practice what to do and not to do, come to all fours and relax your hands...a little space is created under your hands, right? Now actively spread your fingers to flatten the palms...feel the activation of lots of little muscles? 😃 And the space under the palms went away, right? Keep practicing! If you've never thought about this or been taught about this principle, it may take a little while to incorporate it into your practice. Your hands and wrists will thank you!

Email me and let me know how this goes for you!

I would also love to hear about anything that lit up your day, inspired you, made you smile, or made you feel good...so reply to me and tell me! ✨

Namaste,

Melissa 🦋

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