Happy Wrists

I don't generally write much about specific asana- but this is something that has come up a lot lately- wrist pain.  It comes in various forms but I tend to see it most often in students of Vinyasa or Power Yoga style classes.  When practiced properly and with attention to detail these poses can cause no pain and bring strength to the wrists and arms.

There are a lots of different reasons that people feel pain or soreness in the wrists in these poses but most often it is most directly related to uneven weight in the hands which puts uneven pressure on the wrist joints.  Sometimes it is merely a matter of bringing attention the issue, being conscious to spread the fingers evenly and press the hands flat.  Other times it can be a result of tight shoulders, in which case it is important to take the time to allow for opening before revisiting these poses, there are plenty of ways to modify these poses while building strength and flexibility.  Ultimately Yoga is not about performing perfect poses, it is an opportunity to listen to our bodies, be honest with ourselves about what is true for us and what we need on any given day.

If you are feeling pain in the wrists try taking a step back and bringing the knees to the floor when lowering to chataranga or all the way to your mat for a little while, still finding a straight line from the knees to the shoulders and finding lift through the core- while you are practicing this way bring special attention to the weight in the hands, press the inner hand down into the mat (the space between the thumb and forefinger) so the entire palm is pressing into the floor.  When you move into Downward Facing Dog try letting the hands turn out a little bit to make more room in the shoulders and see see if the hands can press more evenly from that position.

Another action that can put pressure on the wrists is jumping from Ardha Uttanasana straight into plank pose and landing hard on the shoulders.  While in the short term it might not cause pain over time it can put a tremendous amount of pressure on the wrists and the shoulders.  When jumping back, be sure to engage the core and land softly, many lineages (Ashtanga vinyasa included) teach jumping straight into chataranga and landing with bent arms.  Try working to this slowly by first getting used to landing the arms a little bit bent, then progressing to landing in full chataranga.

While an asana practice may be intense from time to time, there is never a need for pain.  Pain is the body's way of telling us we have gone too far, it is a way to make us listen.  Please feel free to message me or ask more questions about this.  All of our bodies are different and we all have the responsibility to find a practice that suits our needs- therefore modifications for one person may look completely different than for the person practicing next to them.

Happy Practicing!