If you’ve ever practiced asana on a carpet, you are probably aware of the excess pressure placed on the wrists.  Doing poses such as downward dog and handstand on soft surfaces  cause the wrist to sink below the fingers.  This causes compression and hyperextension in the wrist. In medical terms this problem is referred to as, axial loading or dorsal wrist impingement, and should be avoided.

Over the years I have made it a point to live in houses with hard wood floors. Unfortunately, in my most recent abode, carpet is the only option.  I decided to do some research in order to find a solution.

There are companies that sell fold-up surfaces.  One such company is LifeBoard. Their products range from $80.00-$90.00, and are fold-up, travel-ready surfaces.  I’ve never used one but they seem nice.  Check out their website: http://www.getlifeboard.com/.

My friend Rainbow Michael Haynes (see www.cosmicfiredance.com) came up with another solution.  He purchased a large piece of white board/ dry eraser board (the surface you use dry erase markers on), from Home Depot, and had it cut to size.  The price of materials, and having it cut, cost $16.00.  He was able to make two complete yoga surfaces that fit large, over sized yoga mats. Clearly this is a better deal.  However, they cannot be folded up and, therefore, are not good for travel.

For some people these boards need one adjustment.  Depending on your power to weight ratio, the entire surface may slide while doing jump forwards. This problem can be easily solved by attaching sticky rubber furniture stoppers to the bottom of the board.  Trial and error suggest that the stoppers should be placed at least 4-6 inches in from the corners, rather than directly on the corners.

Happy Carpet Yogaing!

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