Practice Spotlight: Avoiding Wrist Pain

For wrist pain that is most commonly felt during downward dog, Chataranga, and arm balances use "Hasta Bandha" (translated as "seal or lock of the hand") for keeping the wrists safe.

Create this seal in the hand as shown in the diagram above. Please note that the heal of the hand is part of this seal but try not to dump your weight there (as shown in the orange circles). We want to practice Hasta Bandha in every posture in which our hands are down on the mat (that means cat and cow too!) and as you practice it, you will notice how the muscles engage in the hand and base of the forearm.

Bandhas are very powerful and can change your entire experience in your yoga practice. I will talk about additional awesome practice principles such as bandhas in future posts.

Try it and see/feel the difference! Feel free to share your experienceor ask any questions you may have in the comments below.

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This post was first published in my newsletter of Oct. 2015. Get these tips as they are released by signing up for my Yoga newsletter here!

(Please note photo above is not mine. I found this wonderful diagram on the web but, Im not sure who's it is. I want to give proper credit so if anyone can find the source please let me know. Thank you!)