I so rarely feel discomfort in my wrist, particularly with yoga, so when they were a bit cranky this week I wondered what was up!

Many yoga postures require extension at the wrist such as plank, downward facing dog, upward facing down, it is only when my forearm extensors are stiff and tight do I notice.

It really got me thinking…

What caused the muscles around my wrists to be sore?

What can yoga do to help me through?

The first answer is relatively easy. Or so I think. I was on my bike a substantial amount of time the past week. More than I normally do. So the most logical explanation I can come up with is that I was putting more force on my wrists while gripping my handle bars.

The second answer is not as simple. Off I go to the world wide web to comb over some articles.

I went straight to the heavy science first. Nothing like a Cochrane Reviews to bring home the research evidence. Interestingly, what they report is that yoga can provide short-term benefit for conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome. Unfortunately, I know I don’t have carpal tunnel (no direct comparison) and the summaries never give the specifics of what exact yoga poses were done in the summarized studies. So on to another source, maybe not as rigorous with its science but nonetheless more practical…

Yoga Journal was able to fill the void. Expertly written, Julie Gudmestad, trained physical therapist and yoga instructor provided some insights into what one can do when wrists are the limiting factor to practice. She suggested that shifting the position of the hands to minimize the extension at the wrist such as in hands and knees position can help reduce the irritation.

What about props? Of course, using something to assist your poses is crucial. She suggests using a chair for modified versions of downward facing dog and plank pose. Or propping feet up on blocks in downward facing dog to minimize the sharp angle of extension at the wrists.

As a aspiring yoga teacher, knowing how to modify asanas will be crucial to help class participants feel comfortable in practice and not irritate areas of tightness. The wrists being a very likely place of discomfort for some!

I’m not going to lie. I thoroughly enjoyed my practice with Fiji McAlpine. So much so that her final words in savasana hit home...open the palms to indicate you are ready to receive. This practice gave me insight into an area of discomfort that I rarely have. What a great opportunity to think it through and be open to new ways to practice,
LW

Is there someone in the world you want to meet?

I’ve always thought to myself that ONE day I would like to meet Wayne Dyer. Maybe at one of his talks or workshops. I have always appreciated his writing and views on the world. His teachings have helped me out of some unhealthy situations and I wanted to thank him for his ever inspiring advice.

Well, that dream (yes - it was a daydream!) will not come true. In August of 2015, Wayne Dyer passed away suddenly.

The same thing happened again this week. I experienced the same disappointment in realizing that I wouldn’t meet another person who was on my “meeting list”. Let me explain...

I picked up my recently arrived Yoga Association of Alberta newsletter. Hot of the press, I scanned through the pages to see what I had to look forward to once I found some time to read. On first flip through, I missed it.

Yet, on my second pass through, it caught my eye. The “it” was a half page notice indicating the death of one of the most recognized modern yoga teachers in the world.

TKV Desikachar

Just to the left of me sit his book, The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice. It was probably purchased 6 months ago or more and it sits and waits for me.

I suppose the rational person in me realizes that Desikachar was in his later years of life and at the rate of my “formal” yoga certification (read: slow) I probably would not have a realistic chance to learn from this man.

I had been wanting to learn more about the history of his life and what I currently know is that he is part of the T. Krishnamacharya lineage. T. Krishnamacharya is is father.

Disappointing. Saddening. Yes.

Silver lining…

It is quite likely that I will someday have a chance to learn from him. It might just be from his books and other teachers who have trained in his lineage. But what he shared with the world still lives. As with Wayne Dyer, his message, his legacy is still available to me anytime, any place. The beauty of the world we now live in.

With all this being said, my weekly morning practice continues with some struggles.

I Am Awake seemed like a helpful practice to start the day with. It was a simple practice that was slow and purposeful.

During practice, my mind drifted to the future (which is never good when working on a yoga asana!) and I had to pull myself back in to the present moment.

Mindfulness baby!

Yet, with the current news of Desikachar’s passing, it hammers down the point of how important time is. Each moment comes and goes yet time is in some regards infinite.

To more practice and learning,
LW