Two Hands Support the Heavens

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your knees soft. Let your arms rest by your sides. On an inhale, float both hands up the centre of the body until they reach collarbone height. Here, interlace your fingers, turn the palms outward, and extend the hands upward, lengthening through the sides of the body as though gently supporting the heavens. As you exhale, release the arms outward and down, softening the shoulders and letting the breath fall naturally. After a few rounds, you can add an optional lift of the heels as the hands extend upward, creating a sense of lightness and rising energy. This form is said to support the Triple Heater (San Jiao) — recognised as an organ system in Chinese medicine and thought to correspond to the body’s connective tissue networks, describing the body’s three energetic centres that help harmonise breathing, digestion, and overall vitality.