Wrist Care

Do your wrist ache when doing yoga?

With all the pressure we put on our wrists during our yoga practice, it’s important to give them some tender loving care too!

Oftentimes, wrist injuries or soreness happen when we’re either out of alignment or not distributing enough weight throughout other parts of our body. For example, in downward dog, wrist injuries happen often because people are leaning too far into their hands without properly balancing their weight to their feet as well.

Practicing every once in a while in front of a mirror can be incredibly beneficial so that you can be sure that your alignment is correct. Then, if you feel your wrists starting to get sore, take a moment to notice whether you can put more weight on your feet, or whatever else you’re balancing on.

Remember, don’t push yourself too far if you do experience wrist pain. Take a breath and move onto the next pose, or modify to move from your extended hands to your forearms, therefore taking the pressure off of your wrists.

The priority is truly honoring how your body feels in the present moment. If there is any discomfort, address it, and continue what is best for your individual practice.

When practicing poses where pressure on the wrists is needed, take a moment to be sure that you’re distributing weight evenly to your finger pads and away from the heel of your palm. Press all the finger pads and knuckles evenly into the surface. Engage at the triceps and squeeze them in, then broaden across the upper arms and expand your chest.

Another tip is to grab a stress ball, and use it to build the muscles in your hands and wrists so that you’re better equipped to handle the stress of your body weight next time you hit the mat. Squeeze and hold the stress ball for five seconds, then repeat the exercise about 10 times. Switch hands.