2torial #0902: Learn2 Take a Pulse (continued) Find your pulse To find your radial artery (the most common point from which people take pulses), hold one hand straight out, elbow bent, palm relaxed and facing up. Raise your thumb slightly skyward, as if holding an apple or a tennis ball, to create a small pocket under your thumb at the top of your wrist. Place the tips of your index and middle fingers of the other hand (don't use your thumb--it's also got a pulse and could cause counting confusion) on the pocket under your thumb. Your fingers should lay across the tendon running down your arm. Adjust your fingertips until you can feel a steady beat under the skin of your wrist. If you've searched high and low, yet the thump-thump on your wrist remains ever elusive, try finding your carotid artery instead. The best way is the easiest one for you, and for some people, neck pulse points are stronger and more accessible. The carotid is located just below your jaw in the groove where your head and neck meet, on either side of your windpipe. Use your index and middle fingertips to feel around in the groove for a tangible pulsation. Hold your fingers in place for a few seconds to make sure you've got it. On the wrist or neck, like we mentioned, are the most common spots where people take their pulses, but you can try finding pulse points on your upper arms under your biceps, about two inches from your underarm, or behind your kneecap (bend your knee a bit before poking your fingers around). Supermodel types can try counting their pulses by finding their abdominal aorta, located under the stomach, but anyone of average weight or more can count out discovering that one.   Step 2