Why meditation is good for the hands

Are you the kind of person who struggles to find time to take care of their hands? Does giving them some love and attention feel too indulgent?
So here you are, you want “nice hands” but your lifestyle seems to be getting in the way of making time to nourish and tend to them. Maybe you’re a gardener with perpetually broken nails because you’re not keen on wearing gardening gloves. Perhaps you have dry skin. Or it could be that you feel making time for your hands is an indulgence. 

It’s not that we don’t want to have elegant hands with smooth skin. No, we’d love to. More often it’s a feeling of having so much else to do, so many tasks requiring our attention, that we don’t feel justified in taking time out for ourselves to look after them.

beautiful nourished manicured hands wearing rings
Nourished, manicured hands.
I’m a newbie to meditation (been trying out Headspace and loving it) and have inadvertently discovered that meditation is good for my hands!

Whilst I don’t doubt the powers of meditation helping us heal, my discovery is fairly basic. Here it is. If you know you’re going to be sitting down for at least 15 minutes, why not let some hand cream work its magic while you meditate?

As part of getting comfortable and settling in, smooth on some handcream then do your session. You’re not going to be touching anything that’ll get spoiled so it’s a great time to give your hands a treat! If you find you still have a bit of a handcreamy feel afterwards, I reckon you’re good to go for wiping what’s left off with a soft towel.
“Why not let some hand cream work its magic while you meditate?”
Some of my friends share the same obstacles to skincare as I do. For example, it’s one thing remembering to use handcream but what do you do immediately afterwards? Sitting down for a peaceful meditation session is ideal!

Many perfumed creams don’t suit my skin, some even sting! Then there’s the gloopy greasy stage while you’re waiting for it to soak in and for your hands to be back to normal – and nourished – so you can get back to what ever you were doing, without them feeling sticky or leaving smears over everything. Imagine trying to handle photographs, fabrics or an instrument while your fingers are still oily.

I know I find it hopless trying to make wearable compass jewellery in my workshop with hands like that!

hands making pastry dough
creative hands making clay pot
lovers hands holding heartshaped shell
gee creating handmade silver 50th birthday bangle
Something I hear a lot is that people think they don’t have nice enough hands to wear rings. This saddens me because there’s more to your hands than their appearance. They make so much possible for you throughout life.

Your hands help you soothe and heal others. They are the tools with which you create, form, paint and build. Your hands allow you to play a musical instrument, to write, type and draw. They make it possible to cook for your friends and to hold hands with loved ones.

The list is endless. Your hands tell a beautiful story.

Just think of what your hands make possible for you in life and take a moment to cherish them.

Gee Backhouse