What Is “Hand Yoga,” and Does It Work?

The Trend: Yoga is centuries old and has plenty of research to back up its benefits for stress, weight, and cardiovascular health. But what about “hand yoga?” It’s a colloquial term referring to mudras — different poses of the hands and fingers used in yoga, as well as in the Hindu and Buddhist religions.

What People Are Saying: Mudras have been used since ancient times to relieve stress. The fingers and hands contain lots of nerves and nerve endings. The belief is that pressing them into a certain configuration, moving the body into a pose, and pairing them with breathing can be meditative and unlock certain energies in the body. Practitioners say mudras can be good for a host of things, including sleep, asthma, blood pressure, and inflammation. 

What to Know: There is very little peer-reviewed research on mudras. Their biggest benefit appears to be stress reduction, which may have positive downstream effects on sleep and cardiovascular health. They aren’t mudras, but there are various yoga-related hand and wrist exercises that research indicates can improve joint pain, arthritis, and mobility.