The Good and Bad About Yoga for Your Wrists

By Faye Martins

Is Yoga for wrists a good idea? There are wrist-free sequences and therapeutic sequences. However, endless Downward Dogs are not the answer. In the event that you have experienced any wrist injury or wrist discomfort, you know how tough it is to carry out a yoga pose that requires your hands to make contact with the floor. Wrist ailments, conditions, and accidents can consist of focusing on a personal computer all day long, previous injuries, performing yoga poses improperly, or pushing too hard while not getting enough flexibility or strength to perform the poses correctly.

Causes of Wrist Pain

We use our wrists often, whether it is typing on a personal computer, writing, or anything else we may do during our day. Only a few actions happen when we use our wrists. Therefore, repetitive movement is a common cause of pain these days. Of course, injuries such as fractures and sprains happen due to accidents or sudden impacts. While there are a variety of pain causes, it is extremely important for our students to consult their physicians for an accurate diagnosis.

Understanding Balance

Arm balancing Yoga poses may cause pain when getting into a position that needs the wrist to carry the body’s weight. In fact, anyone who has wrist pain will not make it better by pushing through arm balance with brute force. The pain in the wrist is sudden, jolting, and it takes a serious pain threshold to hold an arm balancing pose under such circumstances. Pushing through arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome will not work.

Working Around Pain

Typical postures that trigger discomfort within the wrists are yoga poses, such as the Crow, Downward-Facing Dog, Upward-Facing Dog, and Side Plank, simply because they need the wrists to be in total extension, and to maintain the body weight up. Some of these poses can be achieved on your forearms, taking away all pressure on your wrists.

Developing a Routine

Concentrate on your wrists, and make adjustments while you are in the pose. Stretch your wrists after every yoga class. Clasp your fingers together with your palms facing away from your body and try to straighten your arms. Hold this for several breaths and repeat as needed.

Gradual Preparation

I also recommend those beginning yoga students, and anybody with wrist injuries, begin weight bearing on their own – slowly. Instead of suddenly launching into a yoga pose, start by investing a bit of time every day on your hands and knees. This is the Table position, and your wrists may adapt over time to bear the weight of your body. Do this so the wrists can gradually become accustomed to mild weight-bearing postures, such as Cat, and Cow.

Wrist Supports

There are many different types of wrist supports that you can use as an option, while you do yoga. Wrist supports, or braces, restrict the movement within the wrist. Many wrist conditions are due to repetitive movements; and sometimes, a brace provides enough pain relief by controlling the range of motion.

Conclusion

While Hatha and Vinyasa yoga contain therapeutic warm-ups and stretches for the wrist, they also contain postures that can aggravate a pre-existing wrist condition. Sometimes, resting the wrists and modifying postures is the best course of action. At the same time, there is a “no pain – no gain” mindset is some circles. Unfortunately, the resulting joint pain will not be resolved by pushing through a posture.

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