Protect your Knees while Practicing

I love running.  Sadly, I no longer run because my right knee is a mess.  I have a misalignment on my right leg, (weak IT band and hip adductors) so when I run my right knee collapses inward, creating a domino effect that causes a lot of pain on my right knee joint, quad, and hip.

Due to this injury, I practice yoga paying special attention to my right leg from toes to hip.  My experience with this injury has allowed me to come up with some basic tips to keep the knees healthy during my yoga practice:

• Never lock your knees.  Just like when you lift weights, there should always be a tiny micro-bend of the knees.  This engages the quadriceps muscles and keeps the leg mobile should you lose balance, and keeps the knee joint open.  In seated poses, such as in Paschimottanasana, a micro bend in the knee helps keep the stretch in the hamstring area, as opposed to the lower back.

• Spend extra time on your "tight side" If you've been practicing yoga for a bit, most likely you know which is your tight side.  For me is the left, since my right leg is weaker  (I have my injury on it).  I like to spend extra time in poses such as pigeon, and Janu Sirsasana, so I can breathe and release the muscle accordingly. 

• Strengthen more than stretch: Almost every standing pose will strengthen and stretch your upper leg muscles, which is essential to keep the knees happy.  Stretching is needed, but there is no need to spend too much time stretching the quads or hamstrings.  Your yoga practice is enough.

• Use props: Using a block during your back bend and forward fold sequences can strengthen your hip adductor  since it keeps the muscles active, keeping your knees aligned.  

• Look outside the yoga mat, into the gym:  Foam rollers are amazing for your knees.  If your knees are bothering you, try using one and rolling your upper legs (never your kneecap) on a foam roller.  Stay in painful locations until the area feels better.

• Lastly, embrace whatever is happening with your knees!  The knees are a very fragile joint, so treat your knees with extra love. Fighting what you feel will not fix the problem.  Listen attentively and work with it.

With Love,

P 

Backbend safety

I have been practicing vigorous yoga for a long time.  Ashtanga, Power, Jivamukti, you name it, I've tried it.  For so long, my focus was on the pose itself, the way it looks, the way its supposed to be.

Then my hamstrings ripped.

Parsvottanasana and Paschimottanasana all of a sudden became so difficult.  Never having a problem with props, I was that student with blankets, blocks and straps all over the place.  My practice shifted completely and the awareness and connection I felt to my body was immense. The injury is how my true connection to asana happened. 

So that was a lesson in disguise.

Now, 12 years of practice later,  4 years after my injury, I have started to have chronic lower back pain.  I know it's my spine for I can feel it. 

I was always very back bendy (my very first post on this blog is me doing full wheel in a pool).  I can do all the back bend poses, including king pigeon.  But I always felt tension in my lower back.  I didn't listen though...

King pigeon (photo from thereisonlydo in tumblr)

Now I have this pain.  I know it's from my practice, for I feel it badly after I practice.  My tight hamstrings are for sure part of it as well.  Bottom line, back bends no longer feel good.

So I have tweaked my back bend practice, and the way I teach it.  

Here are some tips to keep your back bend practice healthy and pain free that have worked for me:

• Never going into full wheel.  To get your back bend on, try camel pose, or bridge pose.  
• Staying in supported bridge pose during the entire back bend practice (use a block under the sacrum)
• Instead of going into twists after the back bends, lay down completely for 10 breaths.  This time allows the spine to return to a neutral spine.  After the 10 breaths, going for the twists if needed.

I have started to include all these back bend options in my classes, including skipping back bends all together.

Listening to your body is why we practice. So listen carefully to your spine, muscles and bones. And never, ever do something that feels strange. 

With Love,

P

Searching for freedom

This is a wonderful read about simple ways to lift your consciousness.  Enjoy!

Love,

P