Wrist Pain in Yoga? 10 Tips for Happy Wrists • Yoga Basics

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With a lot of weight bearing poses such as Downward-Facing Dog, Upward-Facing Dog, Plank pose and handstand, an asana practice is not kind to our wrists. The weight combined with the immense range of motion we demand in yoga classes often leads to wrist strain or wrist issues. If you are suffering from a wrist injury you may need to seek treatment from a doctor or physical therapist, but if it’s only mild or occasional soreness you can easily address wrist pain in your yoga practice with the following ten tips.

Tips to avoid wrist pain in yoga

1. Bring the ground to you

Downward Dog can be a weight bearing pose. Instead of placing your palms on the ground, bring the ground to you. Place blocks, wedges, or even a chair under your hands to essentially raise the floor and force your weight out of your wrists. Think of it this way: the higher up you bring your hands, the more your body weight will shift to your legs.

2. Use your fists and forearms

One reason your wrists might hurt during yoga is because of the angle at which your wrist joint is bending. Too much wrist extension can strain and inflame the joint. You can modify just about any pose by making fists or coming onto your forearms instead of using your palms. You will still get all the benefits of the pose while keeping your wrists safe and pain-free.

3. Bend your knees

In poses like Plank or Downward-Facing Dog, we have a tendency to dump our weight into our hands, especially if we don’t have the core strength to support us. By bending our knees—or even bringing them to the ground—we relieve some of the effort and it becomes easier to shift our weight back.

4. Learn your alignment

Whenever we are practicing arm balances such as Plank, Chaturanga, Upward-Facing Dog, or similar yoga poses, many of us move our shoulders way past our wrists. Instead, think about aligning the outer shoulder with the center of the wrist. This will stack your arm bones and keep you from putting unnecessary pressure on your wrists.

5. Engage hasta bandha

Hasta bandha, also known as the hand lock, is a subtle movement with a big impact. Hasta bandha is when you spread your fingers wide on the ground and draw upwards through the center of your palms. This movement helps engage your arm muscles, draws the energy up your arms, and relieves some of the pressure on your wrists. It can be challenging at first, but it can benefit your practice immensely.

6. Warm-up beforehand

We often warm up our spines with cat pose and cow pose at the beginning of class. We might do neck rolls or stretch gently from side to side. These are all ways to prepare the body for the more intense postures throughout the class. We can do the same for our wrists by doing some wrist stretches. Try making a fist and moving your fist clockwise and then counter-clockwise.

7. Distribute your weight evenly

In Downward-Facing Dog focus on shifting the weight into your heels. In arm-balance poses such as Crow Pose, think about lifting through your core. In any pose where your palms are on the ground, distribute your weight evenly throughout your hands. The more you move your weight out of your wrists, the less repetitive stress there will be, and hopefully, you’ll notice a positive difference.

8. Embrace props and modifications

Props and modifications can be the difference between wrist injuries and wrist freedom. If your wrists are causing you problems, consider dropping a knee in Side Plank or gripping blocks in handstand. When you use props and modifications you allow yourself to enjoy all the benefits of a pose without experiencing negative and harmful side effects.

9. Open your shoulders and strengthen your arms

When your shoulders are tight and your forearm muscles are weak, you are bound to dump your weight into your shoulders. Practice forward folding with your arms clasped behind your back, Bow pose, or eagle arms to work on opening your shoulders. Combine this with forarm strengtheners like Reverse Tabletop, Low Plank and Dolphin pose. You can also practice squeezing a stress ball to strengthen your wrists so that your body will be ready for whatever poses you want to try.

10. Practice on a firm surface

Anyone who has practiced yoga on the beach knows how much strain a soft surface can put on your wrists. The beach might be beautiful and the carpet might feel good on your knees, but if you are experiencing a lot of wrist pain, consider shifting to a hardwood floor or using a thinner yoga mat. The solid surface will provide more support for your hands and make it easier for you to focus on proper alignment.

Use these tips for a pain-free yoga practice

Your foundation, your alignment, and the strength and flexibility of the rest of your body can all contribute to yoga wrist pain. However, if you follow the above tips you should have no problem achieving pain-free wrists in your yoga practice.

If you have a preexisting wrist condition like carpal tunnel syndrome or a recent wrist injury the above tips can also be helpful, but make sure your doctor or physical therapist gives you permission to practice these yoga wrist pain exercises. Even with mild wrist discomfort you should practice slowly, gently and mindfully as to not make your pain worse.

Video tips and instruction

If you wish to further expand and explore these principles and practices, check out this great 15-minute video from Cathy Madeo Yoga. She demonstrates alignment and pose modifications and shows several stretching and strengthening exercises to help with wrist pain. Watch the video below:

 

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