Avoid Wrist Pain in These 3 Common Yoga Poses

Wrist pain and injury is common among yogis. The wrists are weight-bearing in many yoga poses, such as plank and crow pose, which can cause injuries if your wrists are weak or tight.

Our wrists go through a great deal of repetitive motions in yoga and in daily life, which means that taking proper care of your wrists to avoid wrist pain and injury is extra important – not just for your yoga practice, but for all aspects of your life.

My wrists are super sensitive and I find myself modifying poses in class more often than not, here are some ways to help prevent pain or injury in your wrists in class:

Modifications to avoid wrist pain in class:

Downward Facing Dog- 
Modification #1: Use hand weights! Grab two 3lb or 5lb weights and use them for stability, instead of placing your hands flat on your mat you can grab the hand weights in front of you and hold onto them like a handle bar of a bike!

Modification #2: Dolphin pose! Instead of being on your hands you can go a step further and come down to your forearms into Dolphin pose, it is actually more of a challenge and strengthens your core all while keeping weight off your wrists!

Upward Facing Dog-
Modification #1: If this pose is too much for your wrists, you can try a gentle Cobra Pose while allowing minimal weight on your arms.

Modification #2: If you'd like to spend some more time in a back bend, try the Sphinx Pose, since it allows you to have the weight on the forearms instead of the wrists.

Cat/Cow Pose-
In poses where the hands are in a 90-degree angle, but are not bearing too much weight, you can place your fingertips on the ground instead of the full palm.

Modification #1: When warming up the spine in the Cat and Cow movement, try this with fingertips. Start with shorter periods of time though, as your fingers might not be used to the weight.
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Modification #2: You can also try forming a fist with your hands so that the wrists stay straight. Only practice these options with poses where there is not too much pressure on the hands!

Wrist injuries are no joke! So if you are feeling some tenderness in your wrists, take it easy and modify poses until you are feeling better. Let the instructor know about your sensitivity and they will be able to offer even more modifications for you, try out a FREE CLASS today!

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