Many yoga poses in the sun salutation sequence put weight on the hands and wrists. This includes down dog, plank, chattaranga (lowering to a press up position) and even cobra pose. That can be demanding on the wrist joints. This can make current injuries worse, like arthritis or chronic pain in the wrists.
In future posts I’ll talk about ways to more safely put weight on your hands, how to strengthen the joints of the arm and stretch the muscles and connective tissue.
But sometimes, less is more. Do less poses that put weight on your hands. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid yoga, just change it up.
A good example is replacing cobra pose with sphinx pose.
- After lowering to the floor from plank pose. Slide your palms forward letting your elbows come to the floor.
- Let your elbows be under your shoulders.
- Squeeze your buttocks.
- Press down into your elbows and forearms and slowly lift your chest.
- Keep your head and neck in a neutral position.
- Try not to sag in your shoulders. Think of a sphinx sitting proud.
- After you lower back down, you’ll need to slide your hands back alongside your body, before pressing to plank and back in to down dog.
How to do sphinx pose (salamba bhujangasana) 101
