The Hand To Elbow Connection : And The Web Between The Thumb And Index Finger

In these photos I am preparing my hands and arms for Adho Mukha Svanasana, or downward facing dog. I'm organizing the grounding of my palm by pressing into the base of my thumb and index fingers, subsequently distributing that weight throughout both palms. The web between the thumb and index finger is a prime location for spiraling the arm, granted if you're wise enough to externally rotate the palms slightly while genuinely bending into the elbow. The barrels on my forearms represent the cylindrical aptitude of the forearm when moving in proper alignment. Again, weight bearing in the hands is ruled by the softness of the elbow. We never lock our elbows either. Locking the elbows may make you feel strong, but you are bypassing your deep core. Finally, I take this time to prepare my hands and arms for proper weight bearing because I need to access my shoulder blades. Hand, arm, shoulder, and shoulder blade movement is the most misrepresented and misunderstood physiology in Yoga. The 'golden arm rule' is that all arm movement originates in the shoulder blades. Note: we are still in the 1st phase of Alignment Yoga, 'How To Ground'.

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