Your knees are hard-working shock absorbers. Yoga helps to keep knees healthy and strong by lengthening and strengthening the surrounding thigh and calf muscles, thus helping to ease the pressure on the knees. Injuries and knee problems are often due to mechanical issues with the kneecap, which then impacts the ligaments and the joints, but most exercises fail to equally develop the inner, outer, upper and lower muscles.
Yoga asanas for knees are great for
- Increasing strength and flexibility in knees after an injury
- Guarding against future injuries or problems
- Increasing blood flow and nourishment, which it sends to the surrounding joints and ligaments
Exercise 1
- Standing up, lift one leg up
- Bend and straighten from the knee, ie. Gentle knee kicks
- Straighten the leg and tighten the hips and leg
- Keeping your posture as straight as possible, stretch the toe. Stay in this position for a few seconds while breathing normally
- Release, keep the leg straight, inhale and raise the leg, exhale while lowering the leg and ndash; do a few times
- Breathing out, gently come back to standing
- Repeat 3 times for each leg
Exercise 2
- Keep your feet 2 to 3 feet apart
- Turn the right foot at a right angle and left foot a little inward
- Tighten the hips and right leg, then bend forward slowly
- Hold the position for as long as you comfortably can, while breathing normally Repeat 3 times for each foot
Exercise 3
- Keep your feet 2 to 3 feet apart
- Turn the right foot at a right angle and left foot a little inward
- Tighten the hips and right leg
- With hands interlocked behind the hips, bend forward slowly and hold the position while continuing to breathe normally. Repeat 3 times on each side
Exercise 4
- Keep your feet together
- Catch hold of your knees with your palms
- Gently rotate the knees clock-wise a few times
- Gently rotate the knees anti-clockwise a few times
- Return to standing upright and relax the knees
Caution: It is important to practice these asanas with caution. If you have an existing knee ailment or any other joint problems, you should do yoga asanas for knees cautiously without over exerting yourself. For any queries contact info@srisriyoga.in (for India), info@srisriyoga.org(for abroad).
