Wrist pain is one of the most common concerns I hear from yoga students, regardless of how long they’ve been on the mat. In fact, the longer they’ve practiced with incorrect form or with their attention displaced to their wrists, the more they might complain about how much they hurt.

Instead of asking, "What's wrong with my wrists?" a better question might be whether you’ve prepared them for what you want them to do. 

Whether you’re new to yoga or not, it’s unlikely your wrists work harder anywhere else. Often, that feels confronting, especially if you spend a lot of your time at a computer or not giving your wrists any release. 

It might not feel like it, but your wrists aren’t as weak as you think. They’re just being asked to do something they almost never do. 

The goal isn't to make your wrists tougher, but rather to prepare them for the work they’re about to do.

Every time you’ve brought your hands together in prayer at the beginning, middle, or end of class, you’ve taken a mudra. If you’ve rested your hands on your knees during your meditation, you’ve taken a mudra. If you’ve so much as given the Peace Fingers to anyone in your daily life, you’ve taken a mudra. There’s even a Gesture of Middle Finger mudra, should it ever apply.

While yoga is often associated with movement, mudras remind us that sometimes the smallest gestures carry the greatest intention.

Most people discover yoga through movement. That's why many people are surprised to learn that, according to the traditional Eight Limbs of Yoga, the physical practice isn't where yoga actually begins. Before yoga asks us to move our bodies, it asks us to consider how we move through the world.

Those first teachings are known as the Yamas.

People use the words mindfulness and meditation interchangeably all the time.

Good news: They’re not the same thing.

Bad news: They share enough similarities that it’s incredibly easy to confuse them.

Understanding the difference changes what you’re actually trying to accomplish—not just when you sit down to meditate, but every time you step onto your yoga mat or move through your day.

Think of it this way:

I’m a 6-foot-6 yogi, and as strong as my core is from Boat Pose, as many Chaturangas as I do, and even as often as I strength train, I’m liable to throw out my back at any given moment.

Lower back pain is rarely just “one thing.” It’s usually a combination of habits, mechanics, strength imbalances, and sometimes plain bad luck. Let’s take a look at some of the most common complaints behind lower back issues.

Here are a few poses and exercises to help during your next flare-up.

If you’ve been to a yoga class, there’s a good chance you’ve heard your teacher say something like “inhale to lift, exhale to fold.” Maybe you’ve been guided through a deep sigh, or a few moments of stillness where the only instruction was to breathe. That’s pranayama in action, even if you didn’t realize it.

Pranayama is the yogic practice of intentional breathwork, and while it might sound intimidating, at its heart, it’s just learning how to use the breath you already have. In fact, it’s one of the most powerful tools yoga offers not just for your practice on the mat, but for your life beyond it.

Over the centuries, various styles of yoga have developed, each with its unique characteristics and approaches. It can be a little intimidating trying to figure out what’s what and what works best for you, so let’s talk a little about the types of yoga, how long they’ve been around, who’s to credit, and how their popularity compares to the others.