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RE: ashtanga yoga knee injury

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I'm with you on the hip inflexibility/knee problems, but I don't think there

is a real answer out there. Most of my problems seem to come in Janu

Shirshasana or thereabouts, and any lotus posture too. Which postures are

giving you problems?

 

Re blocks, at a recent weekend seminar the instructor said sure, use them if

you like, but there's nothing you can do with blocks that you can't do

without them in a modified posture. His opinion was that it's better to do

the modified posture than use blocks.

 

Re Lotus, I think it is very important to learn the posture properly as I

found that what I _thought_ was the correct hip/knee/foot position wasn't

really correct after all. I can only advise talking it over with an

instructor.

 

I still find my knees hurt almost every day, but it wears off after a few

hours or so. There is a difference between a mild strain and a real injury,

although the former can lead to the latter if you're not too careful. I take

it you have a full-blown injury if it's so bad that you need 2 weeks off.

 

Cheers,

 

Scott

 

 

catbalco [catbalco]

16 May 2002 18:45

ashtanga yoga

ashtanga yoga knee injury

 

 

Hello, I've just started practicing Astanga seriously about 7

months ago. I'm very athletic (have a lot of strength), and have

extremely inflexible hips. Despite my attempts to be careful, I've

found that my hip inflexibility has caused my knees to

overcompensate in lotus/half-lotus like positions, and therefore

HURT. I've just taken two weeks off to give them a chance to

heal, but would like to start practicing again. At a friend's

suggestion, I'm using a block to support my knees in these

positions.

 

Does anyone have any other advice for me about avoiding further

knee strain? How careful do you think I'll need to be in order to

keep practicing regularly without doing real damage? Are there

any other folks with VERY inflexible hips out there? Any advice?

 

Thanks -

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Thanks very much Scott -

 

Janu Shirsasana, certainly, and arda badda

padmottanasana/pachimatanasana (sp?) also, where I think I

was rather too agressive in my attempts to bind. Do you agree

that a viable variation for the first of these two is commonly

known as "tree posture" - placing one foot on the inside of the

other thigh (rather than on top of it), and just practicing balancing,

rather than bending over?

 

Its also good to hear that a little bit of knee strain/pain is OK/not

necessarily preemtive of an injury - because I can't imagine

practicing without tweaking my knees even just a little. I don't

think I've really injured myself yet, although I do think I caught

myself just in time.

 

I will definitely take you up on your suggestion to get some

professional advice about lotus posture. My allignment in lotus

so far has felt entirely accidental.

 

Thanks again -

 

Cat

 

 

 

 

ashtangayoga, "Scott Rennie" <scott.rennie@v...>

wrote:

> I'm with you on the hip inflexibility/knee problems, but I don't

think there

> is a real answer out there. Most of my problems seem to come

in Janu

> Shirshasana or thereabouts, and any lotus posture too. Which

postures are

> giving you problems?

>

> Re blocks, at a recent weekend seminar the instructor said

sure, use them if

> you like, but there's nothing you can do with blocks that you

can't do

> without them in a modified posture. His opinion was that it's

better to do

> the modified posture than use blocks.

>

> Re Lotus, I think it is very important to learn the posture

properly as I

> found that what I _thought_ was the correct hip/knee/foot

position wasn't

> really correct after all. I can only advise talking it over with an

> instructor.

>

> I still find my knees hurt almost every day, but it wears off after

a few

> hours or so. There is a difference between a mild strain and a

real injury,

> although the former can lead to the latter if you're not too

careful. I take

> it you have a full-blown injury if it's so bad that you need 2

weeks off.

>

> Cheers,

>

> Scott

>

>

> catbalco [catbalco]

> 16 May 2002 18:45

> ashtangayoga

> ashtanga yoga knee injury

>

>

> Hello, I've just started practicing Astanga seriously about 7

> months ago. I'm very athletic (have a lot of strength), and have

> extremely inflexible hips. Despite my attempts to be careful, I've

> found that my hip inflexibility has caused my knees to

> overcompensate in lotus/half-lotus like positions, and

therefore

> HURT. I've just taken two weeks off to give them a chance to

> heal, but would like to start practicing again. At a friend's

> suggestion, I'm using a block to support my knees in these

> positions.

>

> Does anyone have any other advice for me about avoiding

further

> knee strain? How careful do you think I'll need to be in order to

> keep practicing regularly without doing real damage? Are there

> any other folks with VERY inflexible hips out there? Any advice?

>

> Thanks -

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Cat

 

<<Janu Shirsasana, certainly, and arda badda

padmottanasana/pachimatanasana (sp?) also, where I think I

was rather too agressive in my attempts to bind. Do you agree

that a viable variation for the first of these two is commonly

known as "tree posture" - placing one foot on the inside of the

other thigh (rather than on top of it), and just practicing balancing,

rather than bending over?>>

 

I have big problems with my knees in any lotus position. In the standing

half-bound lotus I bring my foot up as high as possible, making sure that I

try to rotate the hip to take the strain off the knee and onto the hip. I

cannot bind but I do (as advised by instructor) bend the knee (to help keep

lotus leg in position) and bend over, some days more than others (some days

not far at all). My instructor said that he had heard some people say not to

bend over unless you can bind, but he reckons that makes it very difficult

to progress.

 

In seated half-bound lotus I find that I really have to concentrate on

tensing my thigh muscle (especially on right) to avoid pain, and bending

forward as far as I can.

 

Tree should be a good starting point for the pose, but doesn't really open

the hips out, so I'd just try to do the lotus, no matter how far down the

leg the foot sits. If your hips are way too tight a good start-up posture

(in seated at least) would be to bend the 'straight' leg and place other

foot on knee, then lie back and pull the bent leg towards you -- I have no

idea what this is called, and if anyone can explain better please do, it

opens up the hips quite well.

 

For Janu Shirshasana a good tip is to press the heel firmly into the thigh,

which seems to lessen the likelihood of knee pain. I thought I'd gotten away

without any knee pain in practice today, but it just didn't arrive until

later.

 

<<Its also good to hear that a little bit of knee strain/pain is OK/not

necessarily preemtive of an injury - because I can't imagine

practicing without tweaking my knees even just a little. I don't

think I've really injured myself yet, although I do think I caught

myself just in time.>>

 

That's the trick, balancing between too little and too much.

 

<<I will definitely take you up on your suggestion to get some

professional advice about lotus posture. My allignment in lotus

so far has felt entirely accidental.>>

 

External guidance is pretty important, you will come on leaps and bounds.

 

Cheers,

 

Scott

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ashtangayoga, "Scott Rennie" <scott.rennie@v...> wrote:

> I'm with you on the hip inflexibility/knee problems, but I don't

think there

> is a real answer out there. Most of my problems seem to come in Janu

> Shirshasana or thereabouts, and any lotus posture too. Which

postures are

> giving you problems?

>

> Re blocks, at a recent weekend seminar the instructor said sure,

use them if

> you like, but there's nothing you can do with blocks that you can't

do

> without them in a modified posture. His opinion was that it's

better to do

> the modified posture than use blocks.

>

> Re Lotus, I think it is very important to learn the posture

properly as I

> found that what I _thought_ was the correct hip/knee/foot position

wasn't

> really correct after all. I can only advise talking it over with an

> instructor.

>

> I still find my knees hurt almost every day, but it wears off after

a few

> hours or so. There is a difference between a mild strain and a real

injury,

> although the former can lead to the latter if you're not too

careful. I take

> it you have a full-blown injury if it's so bad that you need 2

weeks off.

>

> Cheers,

>

> Scott

>

>

> catbalco [catbalco]

> 16 May 2002 18:45

> ashtangayoga

> ashtanga yoga knee injury

>

>

> Hello, I've just started practicing Astanga seriously about 7

> months ago. I'm very athletic (have a lot of strength), and have

> extremely inflexible hips. Despite my attempts to be careful, I've

> found that my hip inflexibility has caused my knees to

> overcompensate in lotus/half-lotus like positions, and therefore

> HURT. I've just taken two weeks off to give them a chance to

> heal, but would like to start practicing again. At a friend's

> suggestion, I'm using a block to support my knees in these

> positions.

>

> Does anyone have any other advice for me about avoiding further

> knee strain? How careful do you think I'll need to be in order to

> keep practicing regularly without doing real damage? Are there

> any other folks with VERY inflexible hips out there? Any advice?

>

> Thanks -

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