Have you ever noticed how the movement of your fingers and hands relates to your shoulders and chest? The neck and shoulder, arm, hand and fingers all play a role in a balanced and vital heart.

There are many different aspects in creating a healthy heart. Believe it or not flexibility and movement of the arm, wrist, fingers and neck all play a role in maintaining a healthy heart muscle. When we have mobility in the upper extremities we are facilitating a strong and healthy heart. An open chest and the health of our heart affects many different aspects of our physical health and our life.

As we become more aware of using our fingers and hands in many different directions, we free up our shoulders and neck. As the shoulders become more fluid and open, the neck can move with more ease. The whole chest becomes more open and less rigid. The space under the arms and around the shoulder blades opens and interacts with the back of the heart center and spine. There is more ease and comfort, overall, around the heart itself. Circulation in and around the chest cavity becomes more vital, thus better able to feed the heart. An open heart with less tension around it is more likely to be a healthier muscle. The heart can then beat as it needs to during day to day activities, including exercise.

With freedom of the chest cavity breathing can be done with less physical effort and strain on the body. The exchange of air flows with ease. The nervous system reads this as less threat with regard to a life sustaining function of the body. When the nervous system is feeling balanced and calm, blood pressure and heart rate can become more relaxed.

Open your fingers, hands and arms and take a deep breath into your chest. Feel the space around your heart from all directions. Take another long, deep breath. Notice how it feels to let go of strain from the outside of your body to the inside.

 

Valentina Boonstra