Quote Originally Posted by NoNo View Post
That first class Thursday was good. It was a warm-up, intro type class, but since I had done the video that Sunday I wasn't as sore as I probably would have been. I can see how yoga would benefit me, mostly from the stretching. I get a lot of foot cramps, probably because my calves are too tight, so this would absolutely help with that. Also I'm prone to back spasms, and it felt good to bend and stretch my spine out. My wrist, however, was none too pleased with my effort that night. I'm going to ask the instructor to feel free to correct me, as I don't want to do any more damage. Overall, I'm happy with it and will stick with it for a while.
Just in case you want to practice more at home before your next class...

In general, correct hand position when your hands are on the mat is with the fingers spread as wide as you can and the middle finger pointing forward. Turning the hand so that the index finger points forward can sometimes alleviate wrist pain. So can folding up the mat a little bit so that it is thickest under the base of your hand and thinnest under the fingers. This decreases the angle that the wrist is held at.

Also, the wrist should be at no more than a 90 degree angle from the mat (i.e. the shoulder should not go past the wrist for a beginner - there are advanced poses where it will be, but you should stay away from these for now). It's very common in poses like upward facing dog for the shoulders to come forward of the wrist, and this can cause pain also. Just something to watch out for in your practice.