If you want to perfect your yoga, try these exercises
What's the story
A strong grip on the yoga mat is key to maintaining balance and enhancing performance during your yoga practice.
Powerful hands and fingers translate to a better grip, allowing you to hold poses longer and with greater confidence.
This article presents five easy exercises that you can do anywhere, anytime, to build strength in your hand and finger muscles, ultimately improving your grip on the yoga mat.
Flexibility
Finger pulses for improved flexibility
Finger pulses can significantly increase your fingers' flexibility, allowing you to easily spread them wide on the yoga mat for enhanced grip.
To do this exercise, stretch your arms out in front of you, palms down.
Spread your fingers as wide as possible, then rapidly pulse them together and apart.
Do this exercise for a minute daily, and you'll see improvements in flexibility and grip strength.
Strength
Wrist curls for stronger wrists
Strong wrists are crucial for bearing body weight in many yoga poses. Wrist curls are a particularly effective exercise for building this strength.
Sit holding a $5 dumbbell in each hand, palms up, with your forearms resting on your thighs.
Curl the weights toward you by bending your wrists, then lower them back down.
Perform two sets of 10 reps each day.
Endurance
Grip squeezes for enhanced hand strength
Grip squeezes are great for developing strength and endurance in the hands, which helps in holding poses without slipping.
How to do it:
You can use a stress ball or even a tennis ball.
Take it in one hand and squeeze as hard as you can without it being painful.
Hold the squeeze for five seconds and then release it slowly.
Do this 10 times with each hand every day.
Stretching
Finger stretches to prevent cramping
Yogis frequently experience finger cramping due to prolonged asanas. Finger stretches can alleviate this issue by improving flexibility and blood flow.
Extend your arm with your palm facing outward, then gently pull back each finger using your opposite hand, creating a stretch in your palm area.
Hold for 15 seconds per finger, fostering ease and flexibility in your yoga practice.
Health
Claw stretch for overall hand health
The claw stretch improves hand health, crucial for a firm yoga mat grip.
Extend an arm with palm facing you; bend fingertips towards the palm to create a claw shape.
Hold for 30 seconds; release. Do this three times daily for each hand to strengthen and relieve tension from long periods of gripping or typing.