Hands slipping during asana practice

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I know this is probably something that has been brought up a million times, but I am fairly new to Yoga… and my hands are always slipping out from under me. This is very annoying because in general I have always been a very flexible, double jointed person, my mom used to get freaked out because I would sit on the floor with my feet behind my head watching television!.. I am taking it easy, and trying not to stretch my body too far, but at time I feel like my slippery hands are inhibiting me, and also placing strain on others areas of my body when trying to keep myself from slipping…

What to do, what to do? … I am sure the answer is simple … However… I just cant seem to figure it out!, I have tried globes with the gripper pads on them but they are SO uncomfy!

:confused:

#2

Hello Sarah,

It’s more challenging to provide you a sound answer as you’ve elected to omit pertinent information. Are you on a mat? A carpet? A room with a wood floor? Is your asana practice one where the external heat must be raised thereby causing excessive perspiration? Are you doing a jumpy, rapid practice?

Generally speaking I would avoid using creams and lotions on the hands. Pay attention to the soap you are using as the skin should be slightly acidic though most commercial soaps are lye-based. Find one that is not.

If your slipping is on a mat surface then it may be appropriate to try some other mats. Some have more traction than others. Some cheaper ones are coated with “stuff” which may over time and some washing abate. So a mat washing isn’t a bad idea.

Additionally, I have found, that coming off my mat and doing some portions of my asana practice on a clean hardwood floor gives me better support.

Finally, weight distributions and musculo-skeletal actions may provide enough variance in this pose or that to reground it. Since you’ve also not mentioned specific posture, neither can I :slight_smile:

#3

OH my, I am sorry, I did leave out a lot of information, I really did not think of all of the factors that could be involved. I practice on a mat, and the temp in my house is set at about 72F at all times, so its not too warm, not too cold. No jumpy rapid practice thus far, I am taking it slow, concentrating on holding poses for a while.

I am a raw vegan, and do not use any body care products at all. I did not think about practicing on a wood floor!, We are putting down new wood this month! :slight_smile: ill try that!

#4

It depends on the asana but it seems some beginners’ hands tend to slip in downward facing dog.

In that case, one thing to look at is whether you are really flattening your hands and spreading the weight onto the corners of your palm and all of your fingers. If you’re not sure, this is just one more reason to head down to that yoga center down the block (you mentioned in another post) and take some classes with a teacher who can help you with this. Its kinda hard to do that without being there with you live. :slight_smile:

#5

I think the weight distribution is very important. You should feel like you could tear the mat apart in four directions and also feel your abdominals are pulling everything back into and up towards the sky, with a lift of the sitting-bones (as in DD) but, she says one important thing - she is double jointed! It is very likely you are hyperextending your elbows in downdog, which means you are using your bones and ligaments for stability and not your muscles. Bring awareness into your biceps with a slight engagement (ie your elbows should be straight and not bent in either direction) this can be very hard for a person who can hyperextend to feel that your elbows are locked-out and might be best if you have someone observe.

#6

Concoulor3, I think you hit the nail on the head, being double jointed will most likely effect my practice a lot. I feel very “loose”, if that makes sense, I have always had trouble stretching PERIOD, because I never feel the pull in my muscles, only in my legs sometimes, especially after a lot of standing poses.

Kiran, you are right, I need to bite the bullet and go to class!!

#7

Hi Sarrvah!

I had this issue as well and am also naturally very flexible. It really has a lot to do with experience, strength and balance. Like someone said before me- it is also about weight distribution, stacking your joints, and what some of my teachers call “traction” When you are evenly distributed, especially in downward facing dog, you will not slip because your hands and feet are pressing equally into the mat AWAY from each other, causing your whole body to have a feeling like a rubber band stretched just the right amount…not stretching more in one direction or the other. If you were to let that rubber band go from both ends simultaneously it would drop straight to the floor versus shooting off in one direction or the other…does that make sense?

Also-while learning that strength and balance, yogitoes are an AWESOME product to help keep you from slipping. You cna buy them on amazon.com or at many different yoga shops. They are expensive (like 65$) but ABSOLUTELY worth it and they last a long time.

Another thing my teacher told me once that really helped was in downward facing dog, act like you are opening two pickle jars with your hands, rotating your shoulders away from each other. This helps you to press into the thumb and forefinger of your hands and obtain better balance and traction on your mat. It also widens and releases your upper back bringing you into a depper expression.

Hope that helped!

Inannastar

#8

Respectfully, I beg to differ on the yogitoes. While I do use one for Hot Yoga, I personally find no advantage in Heated Power Yoga or Hatha. I bought one under a similar recommendation, and after the first class, I ended-up folding it at the top of my mat, ready for use, and never unfolded it. I don’t even take it to class anymore. Yogitoes must be wetted down prior to use for you not to have a slipperier surface than your mat. If you are profusely sweating, as in Hot Yoga, then it is advantageous and recommended. I do use a hand cloth to wipe the sweat as needed.

I think it is more important that you focus on shifting your weight equally between all contacts with gravity and focus on using the strength of your muscles to lift you “off-the-mat”. (If your hands get sweaty, use a hand-towel, much cheaper) Everyone has their abilities and their challenges in physical-yoga. From the sounds of it, yours is not so much flexibility and more about reigning in your core.

Have fun going to a class and keep it present!

Remember, tapas is a part of your journey and may manifest with slippery palms.

#9

I would go the easy route first and get a Manduka mat which is designed for gripping and I like a Mysore rug instead of a yogitoe because it is made out of rougher material. When using rugs, they are activated when they are wet so spray it down until you don’t slip. If that doesn’t work, it is the other stuff that people talked about :slight_smile:

You can do a google or amazon search for Mysore rug and there are plenty of cheap options out there.

#10

Im thinking of doing that Iashannasmall!

#11

I have to differ from tide on the Manduka mat. I’ve got the black Manduka based on a trillion rave reviews about it and I’m saddened to say that it slips when I get just the teenyest bit sweaty - much more so than my $5 no name Chinese mat.

Some say that this goes away after a few practises, but I’ve been practising on this mat 6 days a week since July last year. Still slippery.

Mandukas are expensive, so I thought I’d throw my thoughts into the mix.

My solution to this problem is to keep a towel handy to absorb the sweat off my hands and feet throughout the practise. Obviously not the best solution.

Best of luck to you in your quest for a solution.

#12

I just had a student with this same problem in class yesterday. Her down dog needed guidance, but she couldn’t get better because of her fight with slipping hands. She is also an unusually tall women. What worked for her was two mats, one on top of the other. She also liked having a small hand towel under her hand area, between the two mats. We also created a longer mat for her by not laying the whole of the mats directly on top of each other, but by stepping the mats slightly fore and aft. Once she no longer feared slipping, she was able to engage her core and draw her weight out of her hands a little bit more. She also needed proper hand placement and spreading of the fingers. The other thing she is prone to is hyperextension of the shoulders and elbows. She needed a strong foundation to then take herself into her muscles. She tried the gloves, which just gave her blisters between her fingers and other options. She was so excited becuase this worked for her! Had she struggled with this for much longer, she would have either really hurt her shoulders or quit altogether. Please try to work with someone who can see what’s really going on and I hope you find your answer.

#13

Honestly, this much C02 dedicated to mats is a bit over the top. Get a mat, do the practice. Don’t get a mat, do the practice. We’re a bit spoiled. Classically there were no mats and the floor or ground was very hard and difficult to manage. Deal with it, you know?!

As long as the space and things within it are not distracting and toxic one can move forward.

#14

InnerAthlete, your tips are real good one!

#15

Hand slippage during asana practice is incredibly common, especially for newer practitioners who are still dialing in stability and surface grip. Since the room temperature and pace sound reasonable, the issue is very likely coming from the contact surface rather than flexibility or strength.

Yoga mats can build up an invisible film of dust, natural oils, or residue over time, even when no lotions or products are used. That thin layer is enough to reduce traction and force the body to compensate by overloading wrists, shoulders, or the core. A deep, residue-free mat cleaning often restores grip more effectively than switching gear. The same principle applies when practicing on hardwood floors, cleanliness directly affects stability. Professional services such as RMS Cleaning regularly deal with slip-prone surfaces in homes and studios, and the difference a properly cleaned floor makes under bodyweight is noticeable. A freshly cleaned wood surface provides more reliable friction than a mat that has absorbed months of buildup. The process and standards used by teams at: https://rms-cleaning.com/ highlight how surface prep alone can change how secure footing and hand placement feel.

Beyond surface care, spreading weight more evenly through the hands helps a lot. Actively pressing through the fingertips, engaging the forearms, and slightly externally rotating the upper arms creates a subtle suction effect that improves control. This reduces reliance on grip strength alone and protects the joints, which is especially important for hypermobile bodies.

Since new wood flooring is coming soon, pairing that with a truly clean surface and mindful weight distribution should significantly reduce slipping without adding uncomfortable gloves or accessories.