Its all yoga, all the time for me! Throughout my day - doing bodywork, teaching yoga, running a business, working in the garden, relaxing with friends and puppies in this beautiful state of New Mexico - my life is infused with yoga. I love the deeper awareness of my body, mind, soul that it brings me; love the deeper connection it enables me to experience with the world around it; and REALLY love that I am able to share this beauty with others.

I know its not always possible to connect with other yogis, that we all need extra inspiration in our own practices, and sometimes even a little kick in the butt to get into that yoga zone. I hope this blog will help you with that (and me, too!) as I share pieces of my classes, practices and inspiration with you.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Anatomy and Asana for WRISTS!

Last night at Yoga del Sol, I led a Asana and Anatomy workshop on Wrists.  As promised, here are my notes from the class.  Notes are never a complete class or explanation, so feel free to ask if you have questions....


 ANATOMY - 8 carpals (PRACTICE - find a partner, see if you can feel all 8 bones:-), they articular with each other, with the metacarpals on your hand and with the radius, (The ulna articulates with a disc rather than the bones themselves) No two of these bones have the same movements! That’s one complicated joint! Actually almost like many different joints. These bones are circled by a retinaculum. This thick band of connective tissue is like a cuff holding the bones and holding the long tendons that run elbow to fingers in place close to the bone. That’s alot literally bound up in there. PRACTICE - on one another, smooth out the flexor (palmar) retinaculum.

There are NO muscles specific to the wrist! There are muscles that pass through the wrist and the wrist itself is controlled by the muscles of the forearms. So how do we support the wrist when we are in poses that are weight bearing or creating force on the wrist? We have to use the forearms, which are usually weak and tight from everyday use. Its a funny thing, when we are weightbearing on our feet in yoga, we get that we have to engage the feet and the legs, its the only way to stand tall. But when we are weightbearing on the hands, we tend to just let them be curled and soft. Initially, it may be uncomfortable to support the hands as we develop strength and flexibility in the muscles but it must be done if they are to do their job.
PRACTICE – Lifting the arch of the hand. Notice that there is an indentation in the palm of your hand. With your hand flat, Increase the depth of that indentation. You can do this looking at the palm of your hand and seeing it happen. You should do this with every posture that is weightbearing on your wrists. Try it in table, Down Dog, and Plank – palms down, fingers wide, lifting the arch of the hand. You will feel this in your hands and forearms.

The nerves that pass through the wrist mostly originate in the neck. Nerve pain felt in the wrist could be a result though of compression anywhere from the neck to the wrist.

Common Wrist Syndromes:
Tendonitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteaoarthritis, Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

There is an arch in the carpals - the carpal tunnel - many tendons pass through here as does a major nerve. If the retinaculum is tight or the bones have shifted or there is inflammation in the tendons, this will cause irritation of the nerve as it rubs against its surroundings and becomes compressed.

PRACTICES for improving ROM and Strength in the Wrists:
moving each finger joint with the wrist in neutral. Can even use the other hand to limit the movement of other joints. Work with both flexion and extension. And work with moving one finger at a time.

Strengthen by bending first joint and pressing outward to lengthen fingers to straight. This is done with the wrist bent. Can resist with other palm or floor.

Hand in fist by side working with lateral flexion. Can also be done with a weight in hand.

Hand in fist, elbow flexed, flex and extend wrist. Can also be done with weights.

Losing ROM in larger joints (i.e. shoulders) places greater strain on smaller joints (ie elbows and wrists) we are very familiar with this of course in relation to knees and hips, but also true in wrists esp for poses that put pressure on the wrists. Opening your shoulders can make your wrists happier :-)

Tightness in the muscles over your thoracic outlet can not just impinger nerves creating pain in wrists, but can restrict blood/oxygen flow further exacerbating the situation and making healing challenging. Rounded upper back, hunched shoulders = bad news for wrists.

Even a misalignment in your hip or spine can contribute to wrist pain (see above). So, for the best possible comfort in a pose, esp a pose with weighted hands, watch the alignment of your WHOLE body!

Practices for encouraging full ROM in shoulders:
PRACTICE - Facing wall, pigeon toed to encourage lumbar curve - arms up back of hands to wall, then quarter way down, then halfway down, holding about 1 minute in each position. This encourages proper ROM function and engagement in shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Don’t strain but notice where you feel restriction, this gives you info as to what to work on to gain greater everyday comfort.

PRACTICE – Supported Fish

PRACTICES TO BRING INTO YOUR ASANA TO ALLEVIATE STRAIN ON THE WRISTS:
PRACTICE - arm in front of you with palm down. Rotate your palm up. You cannot do this without moving your whole arm - it requires proper mobility in shoulder and elbow, not just wrist. We do this rotation in the shoulder in Downward Dog to engage the shoulder and and serratus anterior without compromising the thoracic outlet - this also helps alleviate pressure on your wrist as you are no longer “hanging out” in your joints. TRY IT in Down Dog, plank and table pose.

Whenever your wrist rotates, the ulna and radius cross over each other like crossing your fingers. This narrows your wrist, particularly inhibiting if you have carpel tunnel syndrome. This repetitive motion can cause pain and burning in the wrist. PRACTICE- Down Dog, Plank and table without rotating the wrist. Anytime you have a body part weighted on the floor, you always want the most surface area possible! This can also be an eye-opening practice in Side Plank. Just remember, Side Plank is an awesome pose for wrists when your alignment is right on (lining up your wrist, elbow and shoulder joints vertically) but its a TERRIBLE pose for your wrists when your alignment is off.

PRACTICE - stand with elbow tucked in to side, bent to 90 and palm up. Now, rotate your palm down keeping your elbow tucked in. If the palm doesn’t turn all the way over, it may be because the elbow doesn’t have its proper range of motion and is asking the wrist to do more rotation than its built for. This limitation in the elbow may be coming from elbow or shoulder. Working with this rotation with both palm and Shoulder/Upper Arm fixed can really change your Chataraga for the good!

*Basic reminders for poses where the hands are weightbearing -
Press palms down with fingers spread wide
Lift the arch of your hand
Turn the eyes of your elbows forward without locking your elbows.

*In Chataranga and Plank – type poses, remember they are core poses NOT upper body poses, reach back through your heels, engage your core!

*In Down Dog-type poses, don't worry about getting your heels to the floor. Bend the knees and take your weight back, chest toward knees and reduce the angle of your wrists (they should be coming toward flat toward the floor.

Good references:
Pain Free by Pete Egoscue for whole body practices
Yoga Body by Judith Hanson Lasater – text not practices.
Anatronica.com or Gray's Anatomy for anatomy


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