Melissa Williams, Editorial Director
Carpal Tunnel affects 1 out of 20 Americans, so what can we do about it?!
If you have experienced the pain, tingling or numbness from carpal tunnel you know that it isn't a walk in the park.
And unfortunately carpal tunnel is on the rise from all of our techy advances like texting, iphone apps, working with a mouse, and even playing on the Wii. Yoga can help alleviate these pains, however, and can even be done without venturing into a yoga class.
Yoga not only helps with already aggravated wrist and elbow issues, it can also help prevent the flare-up from happening in the first place.
In a yoga class you'll become aware of how you move your body on a regular basis, from sitting in the car to reading this email. Plus it will help strengthen your forearms, hands and shoulders, while relaxing the neck and helping remove the eternally-hunched forward shoulders many of us sport on a regular basis.
Ready to get some relief? Here are 4 posesto practice without actually embarking in a yoga session.
Baby Backbend
While sitting at your desk, place your feet flat on the floor. On an exhale, press your palms into your thighs and extend your spine, bringing your chest up toward the ceiling. Keep your neck long. Inhale back to starting. Repeat up to 8 times.
Give Yourself Some Love
From a comfortable seated position take a deep inhale and on the exhale gently wrap your arms around yourself, dropping your chin to your chest and lifting your chest toward your chin. Inhale your arms open and repeat alternating which arm is on top.
Cow Face Pose (Arms Only)
From your chair or a seated position, extend your right palm up toward the ceiling. Reach back with your left hand and try to clasp the fingers of your right hand behind your back. If they don't reach, try using a scarf or just hold your shirt. Try to keep the neck relaxed, and extend the elbow up toward the ceiling. Breathe for 5 breaths and switch sides.
Wrist Love
Bend your right arm so that your elbow is next to your body and your palm is turned up. Take your left hand and hold the fingers of your right hand, exerting a slight pressure on the fingers. Inhale here and on the exhale, slowly bring the right fingers down toward your legs. Inhale back up and repeat 5 times. Switch sides.
For more tips and articles like these, visit HealingLifestyles.com
