Happy holidays yogis!

December is a great time to reflect on our yoga journey from the previous year and start forming our intent for the new year.  Give yourself grace and understanding.

Practicing while injured this year has given me the opportunity to experiment with poses and flows and look at alternatives for some.

Looking at the Sun Salutation, the opening and closing sections are standing poses. Easy enough, no concerns with my wrist. But the center section – downward facing dog, plank, upward facing dog, table top, cat, and cow – those are an issue. But also not, they can all be done from forearms rather than palms. Downward facing dog is now a dolphin and the transition in and out is not as smooth but I’m practicing.

Someone suggested doing the poses on fists rather than palms, since bending the wrist and holding weight is of concern. Ok, I tried this, not sure I liked it as much.  It’s actually hard to balance your weight on your fists, if you’re not used to it. And because of the angle of the arms in downward facing dog, I was putting my thumb out as a kickstand, not sure I was happy with that. But it was worth the try.

What does this mean moving forward? Practicing within my recovery limits, I still have the ability to do full yoga sessions. Some flows and poses may be modified compared to everyone else’s, but they are what is available to me. Other poses may be substituted or skipped altogether. Yoga is a practice not a perfect. Time for more practice! See you on the mats!

Remember that everybody and every body is different. We all need to practice with this in mind. You are responsible for your own safety while exercising. Please be careful, go slowly and do not do any stretches that cause pain or discomfort. Talk with your instructor if you have questions.

Posted in Yoga