Raising hands

Raising hands is a gesture involving lifting either one or both arms above one's head, which has a number of possible meanings, depending on the context of the gesture.

The action of hand-raising is involved in a number of greeting hand gestures, such as waving, salutes, and high fives. The raised fist, an action used mostly in left-wing political endeavours and by oppressed minorities, is a symbol of defiance and solidarity.^[1] The Nazi salute is demonstrated by flattening the right hand, straightening the arm and raising it just above one's shoulder.^[2] A 'show of hands' is defined as a vote wherein people raise one hand to demonstrate their support for or opposition towards an idea.^[3]

Hand-raising is also involved in actions of other disciplines. One such discipline is yoga, which incorporates many poses with one or both arms extended into the air, such as Urdhva Vrikshasana, which translates to ‘raised hands pose’.^[4]