Make your hands happy, and your elbows and “shoulders” will be happy, too.
by Benita Cantieni
Because in our bodies, everything is interconnected. For better or for worse.
I am a body researcher and bodyworker. I’m just as interested in the little finger as I am in the spine, the tailbone, and the uvula. And it never ceases to amaze me how poorly people treat their hands. These tools are simply meant to function.
When they no longer move smoothly, that’s when they’re noticed—as a problem. People stand before me and hold out their hands as if they were foreign objects. Their wrists unnaturally bent, their wrists and wrists’ bases clenched together like fused potato tubers. Their fingers stick out, curved, bent. “Look at this!” And I want to ask, “How did this happen? Where were you when your hands went astray?”
The hands consist of 27 bones and 30 joints. Seven “main tendons” connect the arm to the hand. Through these tendons, the hand is directly connected to the upper body. If the upper body is misaligned, these tendons suffer, and they can cause problems in the hand.
Each of the 30 joints in the wrist, metacarpus, and fingers is, in turn, encased in tendons. The entire hand is wrapped in what amounts to a glove made of tendons; there are so many that you can’t find an answer online to the question: “How many tendons does the hand have?”
“Improper” use can cause all of these tendons to become inflamed and lead to a variety of conditions, deformities, and misalignments. Osteoarthritis, arthritis, tendonitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome are frequently diagnosed. Conditions include snapping fingers, swan-neck fingers, fingers with buttonhole syndrome, and mallet fingers. There are also cases of nerve inflammation and circulatory disorders.
That was the bad news.
The good news is: Hands are grateful for any care they receive and respond quickly and lastingly to good treatment.
Proper treatment begins with posture. The position of the pelvis and the alignment of the spine determine the position of the ribcage. The ribcage is responsible for the alignment of the sternum, the clavicles, the shoulder blades and their joints, and the humeral heads. When all these “shoulder components” are properly aligned, the arm bones and joints are free to move properly. With these optimally functioning arms, the wrist can move freely and openly. This free wrist, in turn, gives the hand and fingers optimal freedom for action, craftsmanship, and dexterity.
Here are three exercises to help you feel these connections between your torso and your fingertips.
CANTIENICA® Workshop for Shoulder Mobility and Pain-Free Wrist Joints, for Strength and Flexibility in the Hands
Your hands are versatile: they grasp, hold, feel, support, and help you with every activity in your daily life. But too much strain, repetitive tasks, or poor movement patterns can weaken them, cause tension, or lead to pain.
Workshop Content and Objectives
- Aligning the body in a “hand-friendly” way
- Relieve any pressure on the shoulder joints
- Align your hands, wrists, and elbows in a way that is comfortable for the joints
- Bringing Strength and Flexibility to Your Hands
- Targeted Strengthening of the Arm Muscles
- Mobilize joints and increase range of motion
- Discover exercises that are easy to incorporate into your daily routine
- Prevent and alleviate misalignments and tension in the hands, fingers, and wrists (carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, “mouse hand,” etc.)
Benefits for You
After this workshop, your hands will feel strong, flexible, and supple again. Everyday activities like typing, grasping, lifting, or pressing will be easier; your shoulders will be more relaxed, and your wrists will be pain-free. And you’ll perform every movement with greater awareness.
Instructor: Benita Cantieni, founder of the CANTIENICA® method and expert in bone-conscious bodywork. With precise, clear guidance, she’ll show you how to align your shoulders, arms, and hands in a way that’s gentle on your joints and help you develop new strength and flexibility all the way to your fingertips.
When: Sunday , March 15, 2026, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Where: CANTIENICA® Studio Zurich, Hofwiesenstrasse 2, 8057 Zurich
Cost: CHF 180, including VAT
Discover the strength and flexibility of your hands—from your shoulders to your fingertips.
This workshop builds on existing basic knowledge of the CANTIENICA® method.
The number of participants is limited.
Freedom for the Poor
This first exercise has three phases.
1
Stand against a wall. Position your heels far enough from the wall so that your buttocks and shoulder blades can rest against it in a relaxed manner. Place your hands on your groin and stretch your elbows out to the sides—stretch, stretch, stretch—until the heads of your upper arms are touching the wall.
2
Let your arms hang loosely. Breathe in through your nose, divide the breath, and direct it toward your armpits. From your armpits, form a spiral around your arms. The first twist must originate from your armpits. The spiral may meander generously toward your middle fingers.
Notice how your arms get longer as the joint spaces at the acromion, elbow, and wrist widen.
3
Let your arms hang down. Bend your elbows and bring your fingers together. Now push the bases of your palms toward the floor while simultaneously rotating your armpits forward and upward. 7 times.
Notice how your entire body lifts off the ground through your heels, how your back, side, and abdominal muscles stretch, and how they work together.
Aligning the Hands
Bend your left arm. If you’re still standing against the wall, your upper arm will automatically touch your body—that’s ideal.
Place your right hand on your left wrist. Your thumb should rest against the inside of your wrist. Your index, middle, and ring fingers should rest against the outside of your forearm, directly below your wrist and in the center of your arm.
Look at the lines on your wrist and align them so they are straight and parallel. You might even be able to feel this small change all the way up to your armpit.
Now, use your thumb to push your hand away from your wrist. The fingers on the outside of your hand push your forearm toward your elbow.
Place your thumb on your wrist and work horizontally toward your little finger and toward your thumb.
Your hand and fingers are completely relaxed and respond to the stimulation in a way that feels right for your hand. Work on your wrist for 30 to 60 seconds. Switch sides and mobilize your right wrist.
Massage the webbing
Hold your left hand so that the lines on the inside and outside of your wrist are straight and parallel. If you tend to turn your hands inward or outward, this natural alignment may already feel like an exercise.
Now, using the thumb and index finger of your right hand, knead, massage, pull away, and push back the skin between the fingers of your left hand: between the thumb and index finger, between the index and middle fingers, between the middle and ring fingers, and between the ring and little fingers.
Does a sense of well-being stir beneath a thin veil? That is a sign to linger until the pain dissipates and only well-being remains.
Repeat on the right hand.
Bend your arms at the elbows, keeping your upper arms close to your body. Keep your fingers relaxed and extended. Stretch the webbing between your thumb and index finger and between your little finger and ring finger, imagining you’re reaching toward the ceiling.
Stretch the web between your little finger and ring finger on your left hand, and the web between your thumb and index finger on your right hand diagonally. Reverse the order: little finger and ring finger on your right hand, thumb and index finger on your left. Repeat at least five times for each diagonal; there’s no upper limit.
In your daily life, make sure your hand lines are straight no matter what you’re doing: working on the computer, gardening, cooking, knitting, or driving. If you notice that the lines are no longer parallel, stretch the webbing between your fingers accordingly.
You can find a free printable mini-workout in the CANTIENICA® online store.
