Sequence · 20 minutes · 20 poses
A wrist-free yoga flow with no weight on the hands
This wrist-free yoga flow lasts 20 minutes and puts no weight on the hands: no Downward Dog, Plank, Cat-Cow or sun salutations. It moves from a seated start through kneeling lunges and standing poses to Bridge, a forearm-supported Fish and a long Child's Pose. Use it on days your wrists are sore, or to give them a rest.
The sequence
| # | Pose | Hold | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Easy Pose Sukhasana | 1 minute 5 seconds | Sit on a blanket with the hands resting on the knees, wrists soft. |
| 02 | Low Lunge Pulses | 35 seconds each side | Come up to kneeling without leaning on the hands, step one foot forward and rest the hands on the front thigh. Rock the hips forward and back with the breath. |
| 03 | Low Lunge Anjaneyasana | 35 seconds each side | Stay in the lunge and hold still, hands on the front thigh or the hips, back knee padded. |
| 04 | Garland Pose Malasana | 35 seconds | Stand, turn the toes out and lower into a squat, palms together at the chest. A block under the hips makes it easier. |
| 05 | Mini Squat at a Counter | 35 seconds | Rise and hold a counter or chair back lightly with the fingertips. Bend the knees a little, then straighten. |
| 06 | Reverse Warrior | 15 seconds each side | Step into a Warrior II stance, rest the back hand on the back thigh without pressing, and reach the front arm up and over. |
| 07 | Triangle Pose Trikonasana | 35 seconds each side | Straighten the front leg and rest the lower forearm on the front thigh rather than a hand on the floor. |
| 08 | Wide Squat Pose Utkata Konasana | 30 seconds | Feet wide, toes out, bend the knees over the toes. Hands at the chest or on the hips. |
| 09 | Bodyweight Squats | 45 seconds | Feet hip-width, arms forward for balance. Sit the hips back and stand up again, slowly, for the whole time. |
| 10 | Extended Side Angle Utthita Parsvakonasana | 30 seconds each side | Front forearm rests on the front thigh, top arm reaches past the ear. No hand on the floor. |
| 11 | Crescent Lunge Ashta Chandrasana | 30 seconds each side | High lunge with the back heel lifted, arms up or hands on the hips. Front knee over the ankle. |
| 12 | Warrior I Virabhadrasana I | 30 seconds each side | Back heel down at an angle, hips facing forward as far as is comfortable, arms up. |
| 13 | Cow Face Pose Gomukhasana | 35 seconds each side | Lower to sit by crossing the ankles, or use a chair. Stack the knees and sit on a block if the hips lift. Hands rest on the feet. |
| 14 | Bridge Pose Setu Bandha Sarvangasana | 30 seconds | Lie down, feet flat. Lift the hips with the arms long on the floor, palms resting, not pushing. |
| 15 | Happy Baby Pose Ananda Balasana | 50 seconds | Hold the outer feet, ankles or backs of the thighs, or loop a strap around the feet if gripping is uncomfortable. |
| 16 | Fish Pose Matsyasana | 20 seconds | Prop up on the forearms, elbows under the shoulders, and lift the chest. No weight on the head; skip it if the neck complains. |
| 17 | Face-Down Chest Stretch | 35 seconds each side | Lie on the belly with one arm out at shoulder height, palm down, and roll gently toward that arm. |
| 18 | Supported Child's Pose Salamba Balasana | 1 minute 40 seconds | Kneel with a bolster or pillows along the thighs and rest the chest and one cheek on it. Arms rest beside it. |
| 19 | Supine Twist Supta Matsyendrasana | 1 minute 5 seconds each side | Lie on your back, knees to one side, arms out wide and relaxed. |
| 20 | Corpse Pose Savasana | 2 minutes | Palms up, fingers relaxed. Let the hands and forearms go completely soft. |
Most yoga flows lean on the hands. Downward Dog, Plank, Cat-Cow and every sun salutation put body weight through the wrists. When the wrists are tired from typing, sore after a fall, or just not happy with weight on them today, this flow leaves all of that out. Nothing here asks you to press into the hands.
It was made by the site's session generator, the engine behind the random yoga flow generator, with the wrists option switched on, which removes every pose that loads the wrists before the order is built. The result is a 20-minute practice with hatha-style holds: a seated and kneeling warm-up, a standing block, Bridge and a supported Fish, then long rests on the floor. In Triangle and Extended Side Angle the lower forearm rests on the thigh instead of a hand going to the floor.
The tricky part is getting to and from the floor without your hands. Cross the ankles and lower down slowly, roll to one side and use the forearm and elbow, or keep a sturdy chair nearby to hold. A bolster or a stack of pillows makes the final Child's Pose restful, and a block helps in Garland and Cow Face.
This flow keeps weight off the wrists, and that is all it does. If your wrists are swollen, numb, tingling at night or painful after a fall, see a doctor or physio. Once they feel better, the wrist stretches page has seven gentle moves and tips for protecting the wrists when you go back to Downward Dog. Stop any pose that hurts elsewhere too, especially the knees in the lunges and squats.
For a longer session on a good day, try the 45-minute slow yoga practice, and see the guide to yoga at home for setting up a small space.
Sources: Mayo Clinic, Fitness program: 5 steps to get started; NCCIH (US National Institutes of Health), Yoga: Effectiveness and Safety; NHS, Exercise in pregnancy; CDC, Pregnant & Postpartum Activity: An Overview; Canadian Family Physician (Chan et al., 2014), via PubMed Central, Hot yoga and pregnancy: Fitness and hyperthermia. Last reviewed 2 October 2026.
Questions
Can you do yoga without putting weight on your wrists?
Yes. Standing poses, lunges with the hands on the thighs, seated poses and most poses lying down need no weight on the hands. Forearm versions, such as Sphinx instead of Cobra, also take the wrists out. This flow is built only from shapes like these.
What can replace Downward Dog when your wrists hurt?
Dolphin, on the forearms, keeps a similar shape with the wrists off the floor. A standing forward fold holding the elbows stretches the backs of the legs without the hands. In this flow, a wide squat and a lunge take the place Downward Dog usually has.
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