Yoga for Knee Pain
If you suffer from?knee pain, your body may be out of alignment.
To improve your posture and reduce pressure on your knees, do core strength training exercises and focus on standing tall instead of slouching. Practicing yoga poses such as plank, cobra, yoga crunches will help build your core.
Mountain pose is a great pose to help teach you to standing up tall in alignment. Try mountain with a partner to check your alignment. Check if your feet are aligned with your iliac crest (hip). Check if your spine is long and tall with a natural curve (no pushing hte chest out or bum out). Check if the shoulders are rolled back and down. Check if the neck is long and in alignment (no head protruding forward or chin up).
Sometimes knee pain and injuries occur due to muscle imbalances. Many activities like dance and soccer build up the outer thighs and leave the inner thighs weaker. ?These stronger outer thigh muscles tend to pull the knee cap to the outside. It is important to remember to stretch out those tight outer thigh muscles before and after your activities.?Try some yoga poses like propeller legs, therapeutic yoga thigh roller and/or the therapeutic ball roller.
Propeller Legs: While sitting up on your yoga mat, place yoru feet mat width apart. drop your knees to your right. allowing your left knee to fall in behind the right foot. In hale bring the knees into centre and exhale drop the knees to the left.
Therapeutic Yoga Thigh Roller: You will need a rolling pin. I like to use a marble rolling pin due to its weight. Sitting up with your legs extended out into staff pose. Rotate your right outer thigh up to the ceiling. Place the rolling pin in the outer thigh just above the knee and roll up toward the hip. As your roll exhale and just feel all the tightness and tension melt away.
Therapeutic Yoga But Ball Roller?Caution: the ball is more intense than the rolling pin. You will need one tennis ball. Lay down into savasna (on your back). Place your tennis ball in the middle of your right bum cheeks muscle. Big exhale (breath out) to release the tension. As you lay there breathing in for 4 and out for 4 feel as your bum muscles relax and release. ?Once the middle of the bum is relaxed, try rolling the ball sideways out to the hip and in toward the tail bone. Remember to breathe. Your exhale will help kick in your relaxation response and the muscles will soften. Try on the left side.
Therapeutic Yoga Outer Thigh Ball Roller?Caution: the ball is more intense than the rolling pin. Do NOT do if it causes you pain. You will need one tennis ball. Lay down on your right side propped up on your right elbow. Top left left foot on the floor in front of you if you would like less pressure on the ball. Place your tennis ball in the middle of your most protruding part of your hip. Big exhale (breath out) to release the tension. As you lay there breathing in for 4 and out for 4 feel as your bum muscles relax and release. ?Once this area is more relaxed, try placing the ball in the middle of your outer right thigh. Big exhale. Try?pointing your right toe (this will move you up and your ball will roll down. Flex the right foot to move down and the ball will roll up.
Remember:
1st–NO PAIN. Yoga poses and therapeutic yoga should never increase the pain level. Pain just adds more stress to your body my goals is to assist you to get into a more relaxed state and feeling great.
2nd – MODERATION!!! Do not over do the “Therapeutic Yoga Thigh Roller” ,??”Therapeutic Yoga But Ball Roller”, “Therapeutic Yoga Outer Thigh Ball Roller”?. Too much rolling may lead to your muscle being glued to your bones. In yoga, rolling is a tool to help relax and soften the muscles.
If you would like help in reducing your knee pain, please contact me.
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