How Hip Openers May Help Your Knee

We had a hip opener class this Wednesday in the office, and one of my students who complained of knee problems found it pleasantly surprising that the class appeared to have helped her knee! 'The Science of Yoga' explains this.

 

In yoga each pose is an experiment and an opportunity to understand our bodies. How are we put together? How does one part of our body affect the other? What are the possibilities within our own range of motion that we can use to help ourselves?

 

To clarify the student's experience I use two examples...two standing poses where the front leg is bent ...Virabhadrasana II(Warrior II)  an Parsvokonasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose).

 

When doing these poses, ensure that the knee goes to the little toe side of the foot so that the center of the hip, the center of the knee and the center of the ankle are in line. This appears to be just a slight movement of the knee, but really the thigh bone is forced to rotate in the hip socket, so it opens the hip.

 

Figure 1a) - Bent Knee with Incorrect Alignment	Figure 1b) - Bent Knee with Correct Alignment

 

 

Could it be then that at least some of our population's knee problems are related to tight hips?

 

Yoga gives us the opportunity to explore such possibilities for ourselves.

Comments

[arthritic knee sufferer]

'In yoga each pose is an experiment and an opportunity to understand our bodies'
I try to understand the science behind each pose of yoga when I practice.