I bought a couple of yoga tapes off Amazon, and finally started up with them this past weekend, but I had to stop after two 25 minute days because my left wrist was in so much pain. (From positions like the Downward Facing Dog, and the push-up pose.) Has anyone else tried yoga? I don't know if this pain means my wrist is too stiff (in which case, I would just ignore the pain until it loosened up), or if I have damaged something in my wrist (in which case I would go to the doctor), or something else. Would a wrist guard help? Does such a thing even exist? I really want to do yoga! I could actually feel my blood flowing during the exercises, which is the coolest feeling ever. Right now, even light activities like opening a door hurt my wrist.

I used to do tai chi exercises with my hands and wrists because i'm an artist and it helps loosen you up and not get stiff or injured. Maybe you should try that? I'm sure if you google it you will find something.

If it does hurt bad i would go to your doctor just to make sure you are okay.

I agree with trnsfrm, ask a doctor! Problems with wrists (or any joint!) are never good to ignore. Also, there are some modifications you can do to help prevent straining your wrists...For example, when in plank position you can ball your hands into fists rather than flattening your palm on the floor. I hope you can figure out what's going on!

Good points, ladies -- thank you!

You can get foam wedges to put under your hands (google for yoga wedges) which relieve pressure on your wrists.

ladyjames I have a bad wrist. It comes and goes. Sometimes it will be fine for months and sometimes it will be so bad I can't even pick up a gallon of milk and even the simplist things are excruciating. Mine is a tendon issue b/c years ago I fell on it bad and the doctor had to wear a rigid brace for 6 weeks. I have to be really careful with things like you mentioned, t-stands, push ups, etc. Sometimes I wear a soft brace. You can find them at wal mart. It's like a strechy skin-tone glove and then it has a stiffer band that actually wraps around your wrist. It helps a ton, just don't sleep with it off. I did before and my hand was so swollen in the morning! Good luck!

I had the same problem when I re-started Yoga a few months ago. My instructor explained that the most likely reason was that I wasn't positioned properly - especially in Downward Dog, you really really need to have the WHOLE HAND absorb the weight of the rest of your body. In practical terms, that means sort of pushing your thumb and index finger into the mat -- the tendency is to place all the stress on our wrist & back of the hand.

I'd also recommend you do get at least a few sessions with an instructor - that's really important when starting Yoga. It's cool to do it at home and by yourself, but you might end up learning some positions wrong (very difficult to correct later because you get used to doing it the wrong way), and that can lead to the execises not being as good for you as they should, or even injury...
Oh, and make sure you have a good mat, and spend at least 10 minutes just laying down and relaxing at the end of the session. Good luck!