The top of the forearms are even more neglected than the underside of the forearms. The long muscles on the top of the forearm oppose the flexors, and they need to be strengthened in order to balance the overwhelming power of our gripper muscles. I learned this genius dolphin variation pose from Richard Rosen at the Piedmont Yoga Studio last December.
Dolphin Pose with Palms Facing Up:
This forearm strengthener also teaches external rotation to the shoulder joints.
a) Rest forearms on a yoga mat, and place a yoga block in between the wrists along the pinky side of hands.
b) Pike the hips upwards, forming an upside down “V” shape with the body (bend the knees if the hamstrings are very tight).
c) Attempt to press the thumb side of the hand into the floor, and feel the traction and stretch deeply within the muscles of the forearms as the spine extends away from the rooted forearms.
Feel the fresh blood and newfound energy in the top of the forearms after you release the stretch!
A informative piece on Carpal Tunnel Pain…good one
As someone who spends all day at a computer, stretches like this are exactly what I need.
I never thought about the forearm being a neglected area, but you’re right. It bears a lot of pressure and weight, even in yoga poses (and not to mention the daily stresses of driving and typing). Thanks for this advice; it’s a great new way of thinking about this stressed area.
Just tried it and I like it! Have had trouble with wrist pain which is now so much better from doing yoga; still, this is a welcome addition to my practice.
Nice to know we can try to prevent carpal tunnel by strenthening our forearms.
I need to do this ASAP. I am on the computer all day long and am starting to notice that my wrists are inflammed. I’ve been trying to isolate my wrists, but never once thought that stronger forearms could provide relief.
Dolphin variation pose with reduce the pressure off my flexor retinaculum. The erector spinae group & thoracolumbar will be easier lengthen.
I had never seen this pose done this way before and now I make sure that I do it before I start tennis or yoga. It feels great.
This is such a great variation. thank you!
I have never seen this variation. I have carpal tunnel flair ups since I had a colicky baby. Many of my students have similar complaints. Thanks for this new knowledge of strengthening the tops of the forearms.
I also have never seen this variation. I have carpal tunnel but have never been very proactive in finding ways to offset or balance it. When I play tennis the weakness is very apparent and unless I wear a tight wristband my wrist/forearm become unhappy and fatigued very easily. I will def try this pose to strengthen my forearms.
This variation is super! I could really self assess that I need work on in that untapped supine arm position.
I’ve had some pain in my hands from laptop use. Consistent stretching has helped. I’ve also rubbed out my forearms (top and underside) with my tune up balls. I like to sit in virasana and then leverage more or less weight into my arms.
Oh yes, I remember this from our training…it’s a REALLY REALLY GOOD ONE!!! Thanks for reminding me. This really works.
My fiance suffers from Carpal Tunnel and I’m definitely going to tell him to try this pose! Also, this is great to help with alignment in down dog b/c it helps you focus on externally rotating the shoulder joints. Definitely builds heat too!
I find myself always trying to work out the soreness in the top of my forearms. This pose feels great!
always forget to turn my dolphin arms, what a great reminder to stretch the tops of the forearms too! Bonus is that it build heat and loosens the shoulder muscles too.
Dolphin is one of my favorite poses but I learned about placing the block between my hands in your class! It really helped with placement and I felt a deeper stretch in the forearm. It truly was like finding newfound energy.
I use the computer way too much. I tried this pose and could not get my thumbs down to the mat. It will be something that I will have to see if it is my “end of range” or if I can make progress on this. Thanks for sharing this pose.
This is a fantastic variation. One of my teachers, Todd Skogland “up-levels” it by asking students to hover the elbows two inches off the mat without losing the external rotation of the shoulders. My arm strength has definitely improved.
Thanks for the good word regarding corrections to chronic carpal tunnel problems. Heavy computer use seems nearly unavoidable given the demands of daily life in the digital age. My right wrist developed chronic pain due to either carpal tunnel or mild hyper-extension related to frequent typing.
General yoga has gone a long way to relieving this pain. Now I can pinpoint the problem and apply a solution.
Thank You, Yoga Tune Up!
Namaste,
Z Curtis
I don’t have a forearm problem, but I do have a thumb joint injury and Dolphin pose is a big help for me.
Downward facing dog is not always a resting pose for me. If my hand (thumb) has been overused, or is acting up, I’m more than uncomfortable in downward dog, and I’m beginnign to worry that I shouldn’t be doing it. I recommend dolphin it to anyone who has hand or wrist problems in downward dog.
Thanks for teaching me this is amazing pose. The isometric contraction of pressing the arms into the floor is a very effective at strengthening chronically weak forearm extensors.
Even though I have been practicing yoga for sometime, I have not done the Dolphin pose. I love it, and look forward to trying your variation. The variation presented here for carpal tunnel is probably good for me, even though I don’t have carpal tunnel problems. Thanks!
I’ve found this Dolphin variation to be very helpful! A few weeks into teacher training, I was experiencing pain from my elbows down to my wrists. Yoga Tune Up helped me figure out that I was hyper-extending my elbows and overworking the muscles in my forearms. I felt tightness and pain in both the extensors and the flexors, and have since been working to both stretch and strengthen these muscle groups. The Dolphin with palms facing up is a great pose to accomplish this – it really helps to strengthen the forearms while opening up the shoulders (without any risk of elbow hyper-extension, which is hard to avoid in many shoulder openers). Thanks for sharing!
I started doing something similar at my desk after reading an article on carpal tunnel syndrome: I bring my forarms in a supine position and just press them into the table top. The stretch isn’t as deep as in the dolphine variation, but it does the trick during a long day at my desk.
I never thought my forearms were neglected until I tried this pose. It seems like the years of working on the computer is catching up with me even though I don’t have carpal tunnel problems yet. I have to incorporate this move into my daily desk-side stretch to avoid it coming on. The pose however was difficult for my shoulders.
I have fallen in love with this pose. It has brought so much relief to my wrists and a great counterbalance to my endless griper actions whether on the computer, writing notes, or cycling. It has become part of my daily regiment of healthy habits and well being.
Great variation on the dolphin move. Thanks!
Great version of dolphin pose. Even just trying it once I felt an energy in my forearms. I’m interested in seeing the results of a more consistent practice.
Carpal Tunnel seems to be the plague of our age. I have had many students with this complaint-up until now I have had modifications to give them to lessen discomfort but this is something concrete I can have them do to actually address the problem from the inside out.
This one is genius! It’s so true that we both stress then try to stretch the flexors of the forearms without any regard to the extensors and the dolphin with supinated forearms gleefully unwinds those flexors while relying on and increasing strength in the often forgotten extensors. Great for computer arms as well as musicians.
Also one of my new favorite poses. A lot of people have a tendency, even in this pose, to spread their elbows too wide (I don’t always have the luxory of offering them blocks at the gym). But I try to have them hold on to their shoulder with one hand, and internally and externally rotate the wrist (and conseqeuntly, the shoulder as well) and they’re able to feel the position I want them to get into. then I have them depress and adduct and try to maintain that space that is alligning the elbows with the shoulders. but for those who just aren’t getting it, what do you recommend?
this is a really interesting perspective on carpal tunnel – i’ve got countless coworkers that have had to go to therapy for this as had my dad. ergonomics is so important on a day to day basis, but it’s great to see there is a way to compliment the ergonomics with some strengthening techniques.