Yoga stretches for back Virginia

Part 3 of the Get In Your Body To Increase Creativity, Release Pain and Feel Great Series

One of the most common questions I receive from students concerns the wrists. We put a lot of pressure on our wrists in many aspects of life and typing or writing can be downright torturous to the wrists, fingers and hands. In the technology age, the wrists and fingers get the short end of the stick.

Whenever your wrists or fingers are starting to get a little sore from a long, in-depth session, scoot back your chair from the keyboard, typewriter or journal and give your hands a break with the following stretch.

Click below to watch the video demonstrations of the following practice!

How to Stretch Your Wrists

Stretch your hands out in front of you and place the four fingers, excluding the thumb, over the opposite hand’s four fingers so that the pinky finger touches the palm, palm facing away from you. Press your fingers toward you for a stretch on the inside of your wrist. Take a few breaths, increasing pressure on your exhales. To stretch the top of the wrist, point your fingers down, palm facing toward you and lay your four fingers on top of the bottom knuckles of the opposite hand. Press your fingers towards you once again, increasing pressure on the exhale. After a few breaths, switch sides. You can deepen both stretches by keeping the arm of the hand being stretched straight out in front of you.

If you’re up for getting up, get down on your hands and knees and place your palms face down on the floor with your fingers pointing back toward your knees. Slowly start to slide your butt back toward your ankles, stopping when the base of your palms start to lift up off the ground. This stretch will feel really great on the inside of the wrists. You can also try flipping your hands over, palms face up with the fingers still pointing back toward your knees. This one will feel slightly more awkward but can provide great relief for pain felt along the tops of the wrists. Follow the same instructions as before, sliding your butt back toward your ankles until the tops of the hands lift up off the ground.

Practice suggestion: Practice these stretches after writing a long proposal or report, or after spending several hours at the computer.

Let me know what types of relaxation and/or movement practices work for you when you’re in need of creative reinvigoration!