Most physical therapy for knees focuses on the bending/extending aspect of the knees, with emphasis on the hamstrings and quadriceps. But the knee is a ‘twisty joint’ capable of rotation, and many if not most knee problems arise from this aspect — which is of even more concern in yoga, which involves rotation of the shins in so many poses (especially the hip openers, which can stress the knee).

And when it comes to taking care of our own knees, we have to recognize that the knee is one of the joints in the body that has the most structural variations from one person to the next! It is important to understand the type of knee we have — whether it tends toward an ‘X’ or an ‘O’ in the structure of the tibia, and what the effect of relative tightness or weakness that muscles of the hip exert upon its rotation. Hyperextension of the knees, which has a significant ‘twisting’ action that weakens the knees, will be a special focus, but not to the exclusion of other knee conditions!

Then we can focus on the stretches and poses that will most benefit our knees to overcome problems of twisting, hyperextension (as well as stiffness) — and what our main emphasis should be in doing these poses, to personalize our practice.

What You Will Learn

• How to identify the structural tendencies of your own knees — or those of your students — which affect the health of the knees, especially in yoga and fitness activities.
• Which muscles — from the hip downwards — have the greatest impact on the knees: their effects in different postural types, and cues for strengthening the weak ones and stretching the tight ones safely in key poses.
• Alignment habits to watch out for in poses that impact the knees — and how to correct them in a way that helps you increase the range of motion in your hips and health in the arches of your feet, without hurting your knees in the process!
• Reconsideration of some common yoga cues (such as “feet parallel” and “lift your kneecaps”) to recognize how these ideas might be modified or refined to take better care of your own knees.​​

Take a Sneak Peek at Doug's Slides:​​