A lot of people stop doing yoga because it puts too much pressure on their hands and wrists. There are three things that you can do about this.
- Warm up your writs thoroughly before a yoga class (you can find some exercises here)
- Protect your wrists during a yoga class (read more about this here)
- Avoid poses that stress your hands (like plank pose or Downward Facing Dog)
Luckily there are a lot of yoga poses where you don’t need your hands. Scroll down to check them out or try my new YouTube video for a 15 minutes hands-free yoga class.
15 minutes Hands-Free Yoga
Click here to practice with me
Hands-Free Yoga Poses
Here are my favorite hands-free yoga poses.
Warrior I, II and III
Warrior I, II and III are great poses if you don’t want to stress your hands. These famous poses train the whole body without the need to touch the ground. To get into these powerful poses, start in Mountain Pose, then widen your stand and find your favorite warrior. The warrior poses strengthen the lower body, stretch the legs, open the hips and train the arms and the core.
High Lunge
High Lunge is another great standing pose. This pose is great to train your balance. In addition it strengthens the legs and helps with mobility in the hip-flexors and the feet.
Side Angle
Side Angle Pose improves posture and balance. Moreover, this pose can give you an energy kick. Make sure to find a variation that works for you in this pose. You can rest your lower hand on the mat or on a block (but don’t put any pressure on your hand) or bring your forearm to your thigh.
Goddess Pose
Goddess Pose is probably my least favorite pos in this list. But this is often the case when we really need a pose. This pose is powerful and strengthens the whole lower body. It also opens the hips and the chest while improving circulation.
Tree Pose
Tree Pose is an all-time favorite in most yoga classes. It is accessible to most students (you can place your foot up on your thigh or down on your ankle – whatever feels better for you). Tree pose improves posture and balance and teaches us resilience. To challenge yourself you can try to close your eyes or sway from side to side.
I hope you like these standing yoga poses. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite standing yoga pose is.
