How To Do Yoga With Bad Wrist?

Yoga institutes disclose the fact that almost every batch of classes they conduct has one or two pupils with wrist issues. In general, such issues appear due to either working with a keyboard for long hours or due to falling from a height. Then again, it may also be due to false positioning while doing Asana.

Can one do yoga asana successfully even with a lousy bad wrist? The answer is “yes”. How can one go about it? Read on to find it out.

First of all, if you have a bad wrist there are a few Asana’s that you should not be attempting. These may cause more harm than gain and cause severe pain. Here is a list of that.

Yoga Asana’s To Stay Aw​​​​ay From If You Have a Bad Wrist

• Wrist injuries are one of the top probabilities while you practicing in vinyasa-based style. In this pattern, you need to place weight on the hand when required.
• Transfer of weight is one of the prime requirements when you are carrying through Sun Salutation or Surya Pranama series.
• Surya Pranama series include the following poses – Chaturanga Danasana or Four-limbed Staff Pose, Plank Pose, Urdhya Mukha Savasana or Upward-facing Dog Pose, and the Adho Mukha Savasana, i.e. Downward Facing Dog Pose.
• Surya Pranama series include the following poses – Chaturanga Danasana or Four-limbed Staff Pose, Plank Pose, Urdhya Mukha Savasana or Upward-facing Dog Pose, and the Adho Mukha Savasana, i.e. Downward Facing Dog Pose.
• In plank pose, your shoulders will be far away from the hyper-extended wrists. You will need placing the hip in a drooped position. It will require shifting of body weight onto the shoulders and wrists.
• In the downward-facing dog position, you will not be able to place the whole of your hand over the mat. Thus, the knuckles of thumbs and index fingers will be raised above the floor. It will distribute more of your weight on the outer edges of your hands.

Strained wrists cause more Pain when a person needs to follow these Yoga practices. Therefore, you must adopt careful and gradual approaches to help increase wrist flexibility.

How to Make the Best Out Of Yoga With Bad Wrists?

​1. Finding the reason for Pain

If you want to know the reason for your wrist pain, you will have to be aware of the structure and function of an average wrist. Wrist helps to control the fine motor activities of the fingers and thumb. Positioning and stabilizing hand help in completing our daily routine.

Movements of the wrist include abduction, adduction, flexion, and extension. The last one is more related to the functioning of Yoga.

To feel the wrist movement, you can sit in an armchair, position any one of the forearms on the armrest, whose palm will be facing the floor. If you now cock the hand up while pointing fingers towards the ceiling, that will be an ideal extension position.

We have spent a lot of time every day in a mild extension position. Under this alignment, positioning of hands is most vital. As you take a yoga pose, where you will impose almost of your body weight over hands, the wrist will have to strain to their maximum.

For instance, the postures in Sun Salutation or Surya Pranama, i.e., the Plank, Chaturanga Dandasana, or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana requires a full extension of the wrists. Therefore, performing the series over and over will put a cumulative heavy load on the wrist.

In the same way, arm balances like crane pose or handstand increase injury potential. Under these cases, the entire body weights are shifted over wrists as these are fully extended.

The level of strain is increased when the range of motion and heavy load are associated with multiple repetitions. Rising of Pain is the natural consequence of all these.

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2. Check your alignment before starting

The general rule of thumb for Yoga or Asana says that you will have to align shoulder over the wrists when you are in weight-bearing poses. It will help in minimizing hyper extension. You will have to stay firm in your position but put lighter exposure on the ground.

It means you will be stable in the required pose. But, do not adopt a pose that leaves a feeling that you are thudding your hands against the floor.

3. Modify your position at par with the requirement

Experts advise new practitioners to take the principle of Ahimsa. It means coming to a non-harming position while working with the wrist. In case your wrists feel compromised, you will have to get back to your original position and modify the pose that suits you best.

You may have to drop to your knees in a modified plank or low push-up. It is called Chaturanga. Following the pose, you will have to bend your knees in Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Savanasana position. This will help in shifting your weight off the wrists.

Alternatively, you may have to come down to your elbows in the Side Plank position. Plank or Downward Facing Dog position is also recommended in this situation. You can ask a consultation if needed.

In the same way, arm balances like crane pose or handstand increase injury potential. Under these cases, the entire body weights are shifted over wrists as these are fully extended. The level of strain is increased when the range of motion and heavy load are associated with multiple repetitions. Rising of Pain is the natural consequence of all these.

4. Rework on your modified Poses

From the above paragraph, it becomes clear that you will have to part with those poses that bring sorely while practicing Yoga. Inflamed tissues will be healed thus.

Before resuming the process, you will have to check the range of the extension of wrists.

It can be reviewed by an attempt to touch the knees with heels of hands. It will offer a 90-degree extension to your wrists. Check whether you are comfortable at this position.

5. Take your time

Frequent changes in positioning are proved harmful too. Before start, you must ensure that your hands and arms are in the right alignment before you put weight on them. Even though fast-moving flow classes may not focus on setting your alignment points, you will need to practice safe alignment in poses while doing Yoga.

It may mean you might be lagging the pace that the class is expecting, but the same will be extended for a nominal period. With dedicated and guided practice, you will be able to convert to healthy alignment with time.

In improved posture, the practice will be a healthy and happy experience for you.

6. Learn about wrist therapy and implement

When your Yoga teacher realizes your issue with wrist, he may allow you to spend some more time after your rotational hour. In such an extended period, he may require you to practice different exercises over your hands and wrist. These therapies will contain some gentle counter stretches that involve flexing and rotating the wrists.

He may ask you to undergo evenly massaging in the forearm. It will start from the elbow crease and will continue to the wrist and hand.

The primary muscles responsible for moving the wrist are all wrapped around the radius and ulna of the forearm. Therefore, the tensions usually move up along the arm if you ignore it.

7. Take rest in case of pain

Your teacher may ask you to be away from practicing Yoga in the cases your wrists feel achy and strained.

Alternatively, he may require you to try different practices. It is his duty to fix up the schedule, ensuring that those practices do not require you to work much on the wrist.He will recommend various medicinal at the same time, though it is optional for you to take those.

To conclude, we recommend that persons with wrist problems should begin weight bearing at a slow but steady rate. Again, the practice should be regular, and they should start training will relatively smaller weight. In this way, wrists will be accustomed to weight-bearing. The consequences will also be much less.

Here is a Video Teaching How to Do Yoga With Bad Wrist

Products You May Need to Do Yoga with Bad Wrists

With the advancement of yoga as well as yoga accessories, there has been a lot of product invented keeping in mind people like you who wants to do yoga but have a weak and lousy wrist. These products generally make your wrist stronger and aid in your Yoga practice.

Here is a product that we like a lot. This helps to keep your wrist stronger and resist pain. You can consider buying this or something similar if you have a bad wrist, but you are serious about yoga. They do not cost a fortune and the helpt it does, we believe this is completely worth it.

Also, if you want to checkout the best wrist supports available in the market, take a look at our coverage on Best Wrist Supports For Yoga. 

So, that is about it from our side. We believe that if you follow the instructions as above and take aid of the products described, you should able to keep doing yoga even with a lousy wrist. Wish you all the best in your Yoga Journey. 

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