Why do my wrists hurt during yoga? Common causes of wrist pain, and what to do about it.

You roll out your mat, start your practice…and within minutes your wrists are whimpering. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.

Wrist pain is one of the most common complaints in yoga, but just because it’s common, it doesn’t mean it’s normal, or that you have to put up with it.

Let’s look at the most likely reasons your wrists hurt when you do yoga, and what you can do to practice without pain.

The top five reasons you get wrist pain during yoga:

1) Your wrists are weak.

FYI - this is fake news. You can’t strengthen your wrist muscles. Why? Because there aren’t any! Your wrists are mainly made up of bones, ligaments, tendons, and other connective tissues - there aren’t any muscles there to target.

If you want to make your wrist joints more resilient and prepped for weight bearing asanas, aka stronger, then you need to focus on your forearms, hands, and fingers instead.

2) Your alignment is wrong.

Yes, even though you’re doing everything “right” and faithfully following all the common cues - hands under shoulders, middle finger pointing forwards - elbows hugging your ribs.

The problem with the majority of yoga cues is that they fail to accommodate your individual anatomy, and instead focus on aesthetic angles that force your joints into positions that actually increase the pressure on your wrists. 😮

3) You’re doing too many vinyasas.

Yoga classes can be surprisingly repetitive - sun salutations, vinyasa flows, always applying the same alignment. Unsurprisingly, repetitive strain injury, a common cause of wrist pain, is a result of (you guessed it) - repetition.

Variety is the spice of life, and it’s also the key to keeping both your body, and brain, happy and healthy. This applies to your yoga practice too.

4) You’re doing too many mindless vinyasas.

It’s amazing when you get so good at something you can do it on autopilot - brushing your teeth, making your morning coffee, driving the same route to work. Through repetition we build habits, which are so helpful - until they’re not.

Yoga isn’t supposed to be practiced on autopilot - it’s an opportunity to be fully present. When you zone out - you lose out.

🤖 If your breathing feels robotic, or has become background noise, your wrists may be paying the price. Yes, really. Did you know that the way you inhale and exhale can affect your asana practice, and the amount of pressure you feel in your wrists? Curious? Keep reading…

5) You’ve got some tissue damage.

Or not. New studies into pain science suggest that there’s actually no direct link between tissue damage and pain. That means you can have tissue damage (a physical condition or injury) and be pain-free, or you can be in a lot of pain, even though physically there’s nothing “wrong” with you. Read that again because it’s important.

Those are the common causes of wrist pain, but now let’s look at how we can fix your wrist pain, so you can do Down Dog with no discomfort, and Side Plank without the shooting pain.

How to prevent wrist pain on your yoga mat:

1) Improve your wrist mobility - stretch and strengthen your forearms, hands, and fingers.

🖐️ Anatomically, our wrists aren’t really designed to bear weight - that’s why we walk on our feet and not our hands. Our hands are designed for dexterity, and doing fiddly things with precision - not 10+ vinyasas in a 60 minute flow class.

These are my favourite exercises to improve your wrist mobility. You can add them into your asana practice, or sprinkle them throughout your day. Enjoy!

2) Ignore common alignment cues and focus on your unique anatomy instead.

The majority of yoga alignment cues are about as one-size-fits-all as the slippers they give you at the spa.

Something as simple as hand placement is affected by your carrying angle, and the range of motion in your wrists, elbows and shoulders.

Asanas like Up Dog and Down Dog are massively impacted by your body proportions - and I’m not just talking about any extra padding, I mean the length of your bones and shape of your skeleton.

Diving deeper into anatomy was a game changer for my personal practice, and the way I teach. That’s why I created this free carrying angle mini class to convince you that anatomy is actually really cool (and fun).

3) Add some variety to your vinyasas.

Vary the speed and pace, do them in reverse, try this seated version of vinyasa instead. Mixing up your movements can be just as beneficial as taking a break.

4) No more mechanical breathing.

Instead - try to make breathing a full body experience.

• Need to relax? Breathe in a relaxing way - either slow and soft, or a big sigh.

• Need some extra oomph to lift from Cobra to Down Dog? Add some oomph to your exhale.

• Want to feel light, uplifted and energised? Inhale like you’re smelling freshly baked cookies.

In my wrist-oration course there’s a whole module on how breathing affects your wrist pain, and how to breathe “better” during your vinyasa. It’s too much to explain in a blog post, but it’s a big part of my Vinyasa Makeover.

5) Rule out any injuries.

Sometimes wrist pain can be caused by tissue damage - a cyst, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome etc. Sometimes your wrists just need a rest, but if your pain is sharp, persistent, or comes with tingling, numbness, or swelling, then get it checked out by a physio or doctor. 👩‍⚕️

Remember, you can have pain without a physical problem though. I won’t get too geeky, but pain is an output from your brain, not an input from your body.

Your brain can “create” pain for any number of reasons, but it’s usually a protective measure to make you pay attention, and change your behaviour. In the words of Dr Perry Nickelston: Pain is a request for change.

All movement is determined by your nervous system, so if you have wrist pain, it’s time to figure out what the sensations are trying to tell you. 🧐

Next steps:

📢 Although wrist pain is increasingly common in yoga classes, it’s not a rite of passage for practitioners.

Whether it’s down to repetition, unhelpful alignment cues, or simply how your body is built, there are plenty of ways to adapt your practice so your wrists feel supported instead of sore.

If you want to dive deeper, check out my free carrying angle mini class, or explore my wrist-friendly yoga resources for more support.