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What could be more thrilling than this?? Small, focused movements in yoga that are anything but boring 😉

These are my top 5 micro-moves, which target some of the smaller (yet important) joints of the body for yoga practitioners!

On the surface, you may be thinking, "Wow, those moves all look super boring." 😛 But the truth is that for yoga/movement geeks like us, these moves are far from boring. In fact, they can be quite intriguing when we recognize all the benefits!

1) Finger Stretches

We know the body benefits from variety in our movements.

And if you think about it, our fingers tend to hang out in almost perpetual flexion as we hold objects, type on a keyboard, and even as we lie in savasana with our palms up!

(Have you ever noticed how our fingers tend to curl when our hands are at rest like that?)

These finger stretches are therefore grrreat for moving our fingers in a different direction for once – and therefore, increasing our movement variety!

To perform finger stretches, start by flipping one palm face up (which is technically forearm supination for the anatomy geeks in the room!). Then one at a time, pull down on each finger with the fingers of your opposite hand until you feel a stretch sensation along the finger and possibly into the palm.

(Pro tip: pull down on the top (most distal) phalange of each finger for the most effective stretch!)

2) Tibialis Anterior Raise

This move is excellent for targeting the main muscle on the front of our shin/lower leg called the tibialis anterior. This muscle runs from just under the knee, down along the front of the shin, and inserts on the inner (medial) foot.

The main two actions of the tibialis anterior are foot inversion (turning the sole of the foot inward) and dorsiflexion (lifting the top of the foot toward the shin – the opposite of “pointing the foot”).

It’s this latter anatomical action that the tibialis anterior raise targets – ankle dorsiflexion! When we perform this move correctly, we can stimulate strength gains in this important shin/ankle muscle, and we can also potentially increase our ankle dorsiflexion mobility – a direction of movement that’s particularly beneficial for squatting and many daily life movements in general, such as getting up and down off the floor.

To perform the tibialis anterior raise, we set up in a position that allows us to move our ankle from a full pointed (platarflexed) position all the way into full dorsiflexion, against the resistance of gravity.

I’ve included two examples for how one could set this up. First, we have the tibialis anterior raise at the wall: we stand facing away from a wall and we lean back on the wall with our feet stepped forward of us a bit. By placing our feet out in front of us, our ankles will necessarily move into a position of plantarflexion. And then we simply lift our feet up into dorsiflexion and lower back down.

(Pro tip: the further forward you step your feet, the more challenging this will be!)

In the second example, I’ve set up with my heels on two stacked weight plates and my hands resting lightly on a chair in front of me for balance help. I start with my toes on the ground (ankles in plantarflexion) and then I lift my feet up and lower them back down again with control.

For maximum effectiveness for ankle strengthening, we should lift and lower our feet several times in a row, until our front shin muscles begin to feel worked and fatigued. (Depending on your body and your setup, this might be 15+ reps of tibialis anterior raises – just FYI!)

3) Frying Pan Forearm Supination/Pronation

One set of joint movements we don’t tend to go out of our way to focus on in yoga is… forearm supination and pronation!

Supination and pronation are movements in which our two forearm bones (the radius and ulna) twist or rotate around each other – with the key detail being that the radius rotates around the ulna while the ulna stays relatively stable.

For example:

In supination (palm up), the radius and ulna are parallel.
In pronation (palm down), the radius crosses over the ulna in an X shape.

We tend to perform a fair amount of forearm pronation in our yoga practice: for example, downward dog, forearm balance, and plank pose are all positions of forearm pronation. And we do occasionally include some forearm supination in our practice as well: for example, when we interlace our fingers behind us for a shoulder stretch, or when we practice reverse prayer pose, with the palms of our hands facing each other behind our heart.

In the spirit of preserving the ranges of motion of all our joints, it can be a great idea to bring a little focus on mobilizing forearm supination and pronation into our yoga practice from time to time!

Enter… the frying pan forearm supination/pronation “exciting boring” move!

forearm supination pronation mobilization

To perform, hold a frying pan sideways out in front of you with the pan facing up and your palm facing down. This will be a position of pronation to begin. Then rotate your forearm so that the frying pan faces down (supination), and rotate your forearm back so that the pan faces up again (pronation). Repeat back and forth several, noticing your end range of motion in both directions.

Note that instead of a frying pan, you could alternatively use a dumbbell (hold one end of the dumbbell) or a hammer!

Pro tip: hold your opposite hand on your upper arm like I’m doing in the example here – this will help ensure that you hold your upper arm (humerus) still so that you can more effectively mobilize your forearm joints!

4) Wrist Circles On Yoga Block Stack

We tend to bear weight on our wrists quite frequently in our yoga practice. (Think of downward dog, plank pose, chaturanga, arm balances, inversions, etc.!)

In order to keep our wrists extra happy, it can be a great idea to perform focused wrist mobilization from time to time!

Wrist circles can be a great option here. However, it’s very common to think we’re mobilizing our wrists when we’re actually rotating our forearm bones instead (the supination/pronation of the previous exercise!).

In order to truly isolate circular wrist movement, I love placing my forearm on a stack of two yoga blocks. This way, I can keep my forearm still on the yoga blocks as I truly rotate my wrist in controlled circles.

These wrist circles look deceptively easy, but you might be surprised to discover they're a forearm cramp waiting to happen!

5) Isolated Ankle Circles in a Straddle

These ankle circles help with proprioception and mobility of the ankle.

I don't know of research to support this, but I have a hunch that if we improve our sense of our ankle joints, this would help support our balance when we're upright. And that sounds like a terrific benefit to me!

I like performing ankle circles in a straddle seat because I can easily place my hands on my thighs and make sure that my leg holds still while my ankle joint truly mobilizes. (This is a very similar strategy to the wrist circles on the yoga block stack in the previous exercise!)

How to Sequence Micro-Moves Into Your Yoga Practice

Micro-moves are super versatile, and how you sequence them depends on the style of yoga you're planning to practice.

For a strong vinyasa flow, you might sprinkle in one or two micro-moves in the beginning as you warm up and connect to your body, at the end during your cool down, or during a quick pause.

In gentler or more mellow yoga practices, you could even fill your whole class sequence with these nourishing movements. 💡

The beauty of micro-moves is that they add mindful variety to your practice without disrupting its overall tone.