The Benefits of a Hands-Free Yoga Practice
You know I love vinyasa yoga. Flowing from pose to pose is my jam. I love the challenge of an arm balance and how plank pose helps me feel stronger. Time on my mat is how I decompress and how I process things going on in the world.
Recently, I’ve been battling tendonitis in my elbow. Ouch. As a result, I need to avoid putting weight in my upper body and that means no plank, no chaturanga, no downward dog.
So, that means I can’t do yoga right? Nope. I can still do yoga. I just need to adapt my yoga practice to how my body feels right now. Yoga that adapts to how I’m feeling and what I need most is my favourite kind. My solution when I have a sore elbow? A hands-free yoga practice.
What is hands-free yoga?
If you’re wondering, “Hands free yoga? What does that mean?” I get it. Mainstream yoga doesn’t talk about hands-free practices much. In hands free yoga , you move from pose to pose without putting weight in your hands. You can practice from standing or seated. It’s a great option for folks with sore hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders. Hands-free yoga is all about making vinyasa accessible to more people.
"Hands-free yoga must be easy."
It’s tempting to think hands-free yoga = easy. Like with any yoga style, a hands-free sequence could be slow and gentle, or challenging and dynamic. Hands free yoga is not inherently easy. As a teacher, you have to think about how to get from one pose to another without relying on the vinyasa sequence. As a student, you will use your muscles in new ways as you move from standing pose to standing pose. Exploring hands-free vinyasa yoga can add variety to your practice and be a great way to stay on the mat when traditional vinyasa isn’t an option.
I created a new hands-free practice that focuses on standing poses and balance, and posted it to YouTube. Give it a try and you’ll see how a hands-free practice can give you the movement you crave while taking care of your sore wrists, elbows and shoulders.
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