How to help to help wrist pain in yoga

Improve how your hands feel while bearing weight doing yoga

Yoga is a powerful practice that builds strength, flexibility, and mindfulness, but for many practitioners, wrist pain in yoga can be a significant challenge. Whether you feel discomfort in your hands, wrists, or shoulders, weight-bearing poses like Downward Dog, Plank, or Chaturanga can sometimes lead to strain or even injury. The good news? There are simple adjustments you can make to improve how your body feels when supporting weight on your hands.

Wrist Pain in Yoga: Why It Happens

Wrist pain in yoga often stems from improper alignment, lack of strength, or mobility restrictions in the hands, wrists, and even the shoulders. The small joints in the wrists are not naturally designed to bear the body’s full weight for extended periods, especially if the load is not distributed properly.

Some common reasons for wrist pain in yoga include:

• Overloading the wrists – Placing too much weight directly onto the wrists without engaging other supporting muscles.
• Limited wrist mobility – Tightness in the wrists can make certain hand positions uncomfortable.
• Weakness in the hands and forearms – Without sufficient strength, the wrists take on too much strain.
• Poor hand placement – Incorrect finger positioning or a lack of engagement can make weight-bearing poses feel unstable.

The key to reducing wrist pain is making small adjustments that better distribute your weight and support your wrists effectively.

If you experience wrist pain in your yoga practice, try the video below. It contains some options you may not have heard before that can help improve how your body feels when you’re bearing weight on the hands.

As you play around with this remember:

• You don’t have to be “perfect”, whatever that means. If you have a rogue pinkie finger or can’t quite find a way to change your finger position that feels supportive, don’t try to do everything at once.
  • Make incremental changes towards a new hand position. These might be very small.
  • Play with new hand positions when you don’t have weight in the hands. For example stand at the wall with plank pose arms and work on the new positioning with the hands on the wall.
• The sensations in your body should be your primary guide. If you’re feeling pain or struggling when you’re trying something new, try another way.
• If you need more guidance, take a class with me or book a private workshop for a more personalized approach.

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The information, instruction, and advice contained in this video and post are in no way intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content is for general informational purposes only. Not all exercises are suitable for everyone. Consult your doctor before beginning this or any exercise program.

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