There are many poses in yoga where we put pressure or body weight on our hands. Depending on how you do this, different muscles are used or not used. This will affect what muscles get stronger and weaker. And if the right muscles aren’t working or your body is in the wrong position, you could end up with pain or aggravated injuries in the wrist/elbow/shoulder.
So what should you think about when putting body weight on your hands and wrists in yoga? You can watch the video if you want the interactive version or read below.
Let’s start with what to avoid. Avoid putting weight in the heel of your hand. This increases pressure on the wrist joint. It can lead to further pain in the wrist.
That means you DO want to put pressure into the mounds of your fingers, including the top of your palm and the thumb.
Try this….while standing put your hand on the desk or table, put pressure into the heel of your hand and notice what happens to your fingers.
Now put pressure into the pads and tips of the fingers including your thumb. What does it feel like?
Imagine your hand like a suction cup. Try again putting your hand on the table and press into the heel of your hand – it’s like the suction cup is being smooshed flat. Now press into the pads and tips of your fingers – it should feel like the palm of your hand is being sucked up and a slight gap under the palm and heel of your hand.
Next time you’re on your hands and knees try the same experiment and notice the difference.
And while I’m on the subject a few more helpful tips:
- When doing down dog or plank, your hands need to be at least as wide as your shoulders to give your shoulder joint space to move. For most of us, that’s nearly the width of a standard yoga mat.
- Spread out through your fingers first (think jazz hands) then press down into the finger tips.
- Try not to lean into the outside of your wrist/pinky finger. Try to keep pressure in the mound of the thumb.
- Notice which direction your fingers are pointing. Are both hands the same? If you turn or rotate your hands does that affect your elbows and shoulders?
For a far more detailed discussion of the anatomy and placement of the hands see this excellent article on Healing (and Preventing) Wrist Injuries from Yoga International.
Lastly, sometimes you shouldn’t put weight on your hands, particularly if you have current injuries or chronic pain. That doesn’t mean you can’t do yoga, you just need to change the way you do yoga.
