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Suction Cup Hands E-mail
The name 'Suction Cup Hands' is about a feeling that you are looking for in your palms as you do certain poses. In postures like Downward Dog and Puppy we're setting our palms into the ground so that they feel like suction cups. Your weight is spread evenly throughout your palms, centered on the more hollow spots in the middle of your palms.

The suction effect is easiest to find when your fingers are spread.  The dots on the photo on the right give you an idea of how you want your weight to be distributed on your hands.

When you place your hands onto the floor in this way, you'll quickly discover:

  • * The pose feels different.
  • * The alignment becomes more accurate.
  • * You feel more solidly attached to the floor.
  • * Your weight is more balanced.
  • * It's easier for you weight land where it's supposed to go.
  • * You'll feel more 'grounded'.

This is true for the following poses. (This is by no means a complete list, but it should begin to give you an idea of what you're looking for with the Suction Cup concept.) The arrows show how you want the weight in your hands to be focused:

Table Stance
Suction Cup Hands will help you feel more solidly connected to the ground.

Downward Dog & Puppy
You'll find Suction Cup Hands strongly changes the alignment in these poses. The trick is to start in Table Stance, then reach your arms as far forward as you can while still being able to do Suction Cup Hands. This gives you the best distance between the palms and your knees. You'll feel the alignment changing in your shoulders, (and, so, down your back and into your hips, on a good day).

Cat 1
Pressing into the floor with Suction Cup Hands while arching your shoulders changes your focus in the pose and changes the way the pose feels.

During Cat 2, Suction Cup Hands helps you center your balance more easily and keeps your alignment on track.

Wheel, (Back Push Up) Notice, the same suction cup principle applies to your feet in this pose. Your hands and feet press into the floor, like suction cups. This helps align your body and gives you better access to moving directly upward. It also feels more grounding.
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