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When I began to hate Downward-Facing Dog, I thought it was pretty much over for me and my yoga practice.
Although Down Dog is an iconic yoga pose, what it symbolized to me was my frustration with yoga and my body—particularly my wrists. When teachers would cue the pose, I’d hoist myself into it and focus on my insecurities instead of my breath. I’d wonder, “Why am I letting myself do this pose when it bothers my wrists?” And then, “Why does the teacher cue this pose every 5 minutes?” And then, “Should I quit my desk job so I don’t have to type all day? Maybe then my wrists won’t hurt.” My discomfort with a single yoga pose turned into fantasies of upheaving my entire life reaaal quick.
It didn’t seem common for teachers to offer alternatives to Down Dog in class or when I would ask after class. The most common advice I heard was to do Tabletop instead. But that still felt like too much for my wrists. I’d leave the studio seething with anger and wondering how I could continue going to classes that seemed to require me to do something I felt incapable of doing.
“Yoga is for everybody” is something I constantly heard. But my wrists were beginning to doubt that.
What Causes Wrist Pain in Down Dog?
I’m not the only one to experience wrist pain in this classic yoga pose. When the advice I was given by my teachers didn’t make sense to me, I sought expert advice on what are the most common reasons for wrist pain in Down Dog.
It’s a Difficult Pose
It’s not talked about enough, but Downward Dog is challenging. Although the pose is often introduced in beginner-level classes, it’s not an intuitive posture. “In general, everyday life does not require one to bear weight in their hands like you do in Down Dog,” says Lori Brandt, sports medicine therapist and yoga teacher. Most people’s wrists aren’t accustomed to helping support the body, and that can lead to discomfort and pain.
Existing Wrist Conditions
Wrist pain in Down Dog can also be the result of a number of wrist conditions or injuries, such as decreased range of motion, prior wrist fracture, osteoarthritis, ganglion cysts, or tendon injuries, explains Brandt. The pose can also trigger wrist pain in students with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Improper Alignment or Lack of Muscle Engagement
Wrist pain in Down Dog can be caused by your weight shifting too far forward into your hands, which is a common misalignment. But shifting your weight evenly between your hands and feet can be challenging, says Lara Heimann, physical therapist and founder of LYT Yoga.
Poor posture and sitting all day causes fascia to constrict and muscles to become less flexible. That leads to issues such as tightness in the hips and hamstrings and restriction in the shoulder muscles, she says. When people overcompensate for muscle tightness, they tend to shift more weight into their hands.
In addition, when students forget to engage their core muscles in Down Dog, the result is often even more strain on the wrists, says Heimann.
9 Ways to Address Wrist Pain in Downward-Facing Dog
The array of adjustments I was given by the experts range from scrapping Down Dog altogether to working on wrist flexibility and strength over time to make the pose more accessible. What works for you will entirely depend on what is causing your wrist pain, what feels best in your body, and any injuries or conditions you may have. As always, consult with a doctor if you are experiencing wrist pain.
For me, Down Dog is still a work in progress. I’m making my way through the list to explore what feels doable. At the very least, this list of options is a reminder that I do, in fact, have choices when it’s cued—and that those choices don’t need to include Down Dog.
1. Skip It
You always have the option in yoga, as in life, to pause and reconsider. If you’re unsure how to adjust Down Dog to be more comfortable for you, skip the pose entirely and come into a pose that feels better such as Child’s Pose (Balasana), Hero’s Pose (Virasana), or Easy Pose (Sukhasana).
2. Warm Up
Although some consider Down Dog a warm-up pose, it’s best to prepare for it with other poses, Heimann says. This helps ensure that the proper muscles are activated in Down Dog so your bodyweight doesn’t default to pushing forward into the wrists.
Before Down Dog, she cues students into Low Bridge to help “establish a neutral pelvis while mobilizing the hips.” She also includes Tabletop and asks students to extend the opposite arm and leg to help teach them how to engage the core, hips, and shoulders. Core work is key to “wake up the postural muscles,” Heimann says, which are instrumental in helping you find safe alignment in Down Dog.
Of course, you also want to stretch the wrists in extension to ready them for weight-bearing, says Heimann.
3. Adjust Your Down Dog
Shorten your stance in Down Dog by walking your feet a little toward your hands and shifting more weight into your legs and out of your hands, says Brandt.
Heimann agrees and suggests you imagine reaching your pelvis, hips, and abdominal muscles toward the ceiling. When you reconceptualize the pose by “lifting” into it, instead of letting your weight collapse, it will relieve the wrists of supporting the entire body, says Heimann. She also suggests bending your knees and lifting your heels while still keeping your hips reaching away from the front of the mat. This can help reduce the weight on your wrists, Heimann adds.
4. Press Through Your Knuckles
“Learning to ground down the pads of the fingers in Downward Dog can help take pressure off the wrists,” Brandt says. “I have had students learn to ground down the second finger/index finger knuckle into the mat to help decrease wrist pain in Down Dog.”
5. Try Props
The type of props that will support your wrists in Down Dog depend on the cause of your wrist discomfort. Although there are many commercial yoga prop options for wrists, they should allow your wrists to remain straight and aligned in weight-bearing poses such as Down Dog, Plank, or Chaturanga.
“For those who lack adequate wrist extension due to an injury, I have learned from students that wrist pads or Warrior blocks that keep the wrist neutral can be very helpful,” Heimann says.
Don’t have (or don’t want to purchase) props? Even a folded towel underneath the palms can “help decrease the extension angle of the wrist joint,” Brandt says.
6. Try Tabletop With Fists
“Tabletop can shift the weight back into the knees and take pressure off the wrist joints,” says Brandt. But if this is still uncomfortable for your wrists, try making fists with your hands and pressing into your knuckles, Heimann suggests. Just make sure your wrists remain aligned or you risk potential injury. Another variation is to place your hands on blocks in Tabletop, Heimann adds, which can further shift your weight into your legs.
7. Try Dolphin Pose
Dolphin Pose is like Downward-Facing Dog—only your forearms and elbows bear weight instead of your hands and wrists. But it can be a challenging alternative. “This takes a tremendous amount of strength in the shoulders, latissimus dorsi, and serratus anterior muscles,” Brandt says, “so it’s definitely not for everyone.”
8. Stretch and Strengthen Your Wrists Over Time
Gentle stretches can help improve the range of motion in your wrists over time, says Brandt. “But if your wrist pain is due to tendon, instability, or weakness issues, strengthening for the forearm, wrist, and fingers is helpful.”
Exercises for strengthening wrist flexion include wrist curls with a 1-2 pound weight, wrapping a rubber band around the fingers and extending them as wide as possible, and squeezing a small resistance ball, explains Brandt.
“In general, most people need to regularly stretch the wrists in extension and spend more time in weight bearing to get their wrists stronger,” says Heimann.
9. Consult With Experienced Professionals
A yoga therapist, physical therapist, or other professional can help you learn how to adjust poses such as Down Dog in ways that suit your needs.
Yoga sequences, such as Sun Salutations and vinyasa flows, can be adjusted to require no weight-bearing in the upper extremities, Brandt adds. But finding the right instructor is key, she says. Continue to try new-to-you classes, whether in-person or online.
Instead of fixating on a solution to my issue with Down Dog, I’ve learned to more closely examine the questions it brings up for me. Instead of asking, “Why can’t I find an immediate ‘fix’ for my wrist pain in Down Dog?” perhaps the question is, “Can I give myself time and space to explore what works for me?” and “Can I skip Down Dog and still feel like I belong in a yoga class?”
Although the frustration of not being able to come into a pose comfortably is real, you can adjust your practice, including your Down Dog, to suit your needs—which means yoga truly is for everybody.
