We put our poor wrists through a lot. Lifting, pressing, tapping away at a laptop – if it involves your hands, your wrists are there right behind them, bearing the brunt and getting sore, achy and possibly inflamed in the process. And what’s that weird clicking sound? If you must know, it’s the pop of dissolved gasses inside your joint fluid (I challenge you to read all about that without wincing).

You may have taken to the yoga mat, your usual go-to for relief from aches and pains, but then realised what a star role wrists play. Common postures such as downward dog, plank and cobra, put a lot of pressure on wrists. Even poses that don’t require your wrists to bear your weight involve some kind of clasping and pulling at feet, elbows and thighs, all of which adds to the pain.

So, how can we keep showing up to the mat while giving our wrists a well-needed rest? We asked the experts for their tips on practising yoga with sore wrists and how to strengthen those hardworking joints.