10- Minute Yoga Sequence To Help Strengthen Your Wrists

In last week’s post we looked at exercises we could do to help strengthen our wrists before we hit the yoga mat so this week I wanted to share some yoga poses that we can do on the mat.

Warming up the wrists:

• Sitting in a cross-legged position with your palms together and thumbs resting gently on the sternum, lift your elbows slightly and roll your shoulder blades back releasing any tension you may have in your neck and shoulders and breathe.
• Take a few breaths here and then slowly come down to all fours and into tabletop position. While in tabletop position take a moment to look at your hand placement.
• With your wrists under your shoulders and knees under hips spread your palms out wide, stretching the fingertips as wide as possible. There can sometimes be a tendency for us to lift our thumbs so we want to ensure that our thumbs are straight and on the mat.
• Press down into the fleshy part of your hand, between your index finger and thumb and lift your palm slightly so your remaining fingers are clawing the mat. This will give you an inward rotation in your lower arm and external rotation in the upper arm.
• Take a look at your elbows and make sure they are soft and not locked.

Downward Facing Dog

• From our tabletop position take your legs back, tuck your toes under, lift your hips and straighten your legs as you move into Downward Facing Dog.
• You can stay here for up to 5 breaths or for however long the pose is comfortable for you.
• If you feel there’s too much pressure on your wrists or your arms bring your knees down to the mat.

Plank

• Coming back to all fours take a moment to look at your hand placement and make any adjustments you need to.
• Tuck your toes under and step both feet back and straighten your legs as we move into Plank Pose.
• Take a few breaths here and then slowly lower your knees to the mat.

Forward Fold

• You can move into Forward Fold from Tadasana (Mountain Pose) but I like to go back to Downward Facing Dog and then walk my hands towards my feet and into Forward Fold.
• Keeping your feet hip-width apart bring the palms of your hands underneath your feet so your feet are resting on your palms and your toes are on your ‘wrist line’
• Wriggle your toes so you’re softly massaging your hands and then slowly rock backwards and forwards.
• I could do this for ages but when you’ve had enough gently release your palms and come back to all fours, in your own time.

Eagle Arms

• Bringing yourself into a seated position, I like to sit in Hero Pose (Vajrasana) but you can also sit in a cross-legged position if that feels more comfortable for you.
• Place your palms on your knees and bring your arms up slowly and out in front of you.
• Bend both elbows and put your right arm under your left and join the palms together crossing at the wrists. The fingers of your left hand should be touching the middle of your right palm.
• You may feel that this stretch is enough for you but if you want a slightly deeper stretch lift your arms and elbows a little higher.
• Take a few breaths here, uncross your arms and repeat on the other side.

Hand Circles

• To finish off I like to do a few hand circles and massage my wrists.
• Staying in a seated position hold your hands out in front of you, palms facing each other and circle your hands in a clockwise then anti-clockwise direction.
• Bringing your arms back down take hold your right wrist and gently massage it with your left thumb then repeat on the other side.