This is Part 2* of the 7-Part Gentle Rewilding series!
We’ve been tamed, y’all. Modern life molds and changes our bodies, minds and spirits. Much of our modern domestication is just fine: I’m glad we use forks and don’t spit inside and don’t drink milk straight out of the carton (oh wait, I do that). But some of our taming is worth questioning and unwinding. This series is an exploration of ways of reconnecting to our human design with gentle rewilding.
* Find Part 1 – Gentle Rewilding & Feet – here.
Hands Hold Our Lives
What are your hands doing right now? What are touching or holding? What position are they in? Fingers long or curled in? Palm up or palm down? Are they cold or sweaty? Before I asked, did you notice them?
Each of your hands (like your feet) are a miracle of design. With 27 bones, 27 joints, 34 muscles, over 100 ligaments and tendons, the range of movements they can accomplish is huge. Hands can play a violin or pickleball, chop wood or a carrot, change a diaper or a tire, toss a pizza crust or caress a beloved.
We use them so much that often we miss the sensations that come through them and the connections we make with them. Almost always in modern life our hands are palms down, fingers curled under – think typing, holding a steering wheel, clasping a chef’s knife.
The process of gently rewilding our hands is one that encourages these strong, precise, extraordinary instruments to move in their full range and variety. If you haven’t been giving your hands much attention, go slowly. Feel where there may be places of stiffness or pain and get familiar with the places that may need more attention to regain strength and mobility.
Gentle Rewilding Hands
1. Upside Down & Backwards.
Sitting either on the floor or on a chair, spread your fingers wide and turn them toward your body, placing them palm down on the floor or seat of the chair in front of you. Gently put some weight into your hands to stretch the palms and forearms. Experiment with placing your hands closer and further away to see what feels good and not too intense (if you aren’t breathing, it’s a good sign to back off). You can also do this stretch while walking or standing by using one hand to stretch the other one back to the right amount of tension.
Softly shake your hands and wrists, then spread your fingers wide again and with your fingers pointing toward you again, place the backs of your hands on the floor or chair seat. Again, put gentle pressure on your hands and wrists, exploring the sensation when your hands are closer or further away from you. Breathe, then release and shake them out again. And again, you can do this standing or walking using one hand to stretch the other.
2. Weight Shifts.
Either from seated or on all 4s, place your hands palm down with fingers pointing to each side. Slowly lean forward onto your hands and shift side to side. All 4s will put more pressure on your hands and arms so experiment to find the right pressure. After shifting side to side, move in a circle above your hands, first one direction and then the other. This move is great for your hands, wrists and shoulders.
3. Squeeze and Spread.
Often, our hands hang out in a mushy middling position: not fully open, not fully closed. Gently rewilding invites fully closing and squeezing your hands (curling your wrists in too if it feels good) and fully opening and spreading them (pulling your wrists back if you like). Go back and forth slowly between the two “full” positions and see what you notice.
4. Massage & Shake.
Get to know the intricacies of your hands in this moment. Use one hand to massage the muscles and joints of your hands in any way that feels good. I like to get deep into the muscles at the base of my thumb and roll each segment of my fingers one at a time. Then gently shake out all 27 bones in your hands and notice the sensation when they are shaking and when they are still.
Your hands are how you touch your life. Every day is full of opportunities to receive information from the world around you and transmit your energy and connection back out. Rewild your hands to be more connected and fully present in your life!