5 Yoga Poses Your Knees Need To Stay Healthy

BY SHANDA PACKARD

MARCH 27, 2013 11:40 AM EDT

Like other kinds of discomfort, knee pain can most commonly be traced back to a misalignment of some kind. The following poses

can help you identify and correct these misalignments with daily practice.

1. Standing Mountain

Standing mountain prevents misalignment by protecting against hyperextended knees, improving posture and increasing body

awareness. Square the toes forward, and evenly distribute your weight on all four corners of both feet. Next, lift up on the arches

(this is a very subtle but important action lifting the arches stabilizes the ankles and unlocks the knees). Then, pull the pelvic

bones up and in towards the spine, soften the tailbone and the shoulder blades towards the heels, and lift up through the crown of

the head.

2. Tree Pose

This pose strengthens the calves and shins. Standing in mountain pose, bring your right heel above your left ankle, and engage the

right thigh to open the knee towards the right. Keep both pelvic bones squared forward, and lift through the crown of the head.

3. Heros Pose

Lengthens the quadriceps and squeezes synovial uid into every nook and cranny of the knee joint. To get there, place a blanket or

something similarly warm and fuzzy beneath your knees and bring your hips to your heels. Sit tall, lengthening upward through the

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MindBodyGreen.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content and imagesfound on MindBodyGreen.com may not be reproduced or distributed, unless permitted in writing by MindBodyGreen, LLC. MindBodyGreen is aregistered trademark of MindBodyGreen, LLC.

Shanda Packard

Shanda Packard is a Certied Yoga Therapist and owner of Harmony Therapeutic Yoga in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Having been

recently reformed from her corporate rat race lifestyle of nearly 20 years, Shanda has found her bliss helping others nd theirs.

Her passion for yoga is evident on and o the mat, as she seeks opportunities to bring yoga to people who may not otherwise

become familiar with its many benets. Shandas enthusiasm and energy encourages her students to nd their edge, honor their

bodies as they are today, and to have fun. Find out more about Shanda and Harmony Therapeutic Yoga

at www.HarmonyTheraYoga.com or on Facebook at Harmony Therapeutic Yoga

, or on twitter @SPackard1

crown of the head. Too much for the knees? Try beeng up the cushion beneath your knees and sitting on a block (or four).

4. Pigeon

Pigeon will lengthen the IT band, the archnemesis of many runners. Come to all fours (table), bring your right knee between your

thumbs and your right heel to the left side of the mat. Extend your left heel back and distribute your weight evenly between both

hips. Focus your attention on your exhales, releasing any tension in the body with each out-breath. Need a little less? Try lying on

your back, cross the right heel over the left knee, interlace your ngers beneath your left thigh, and draw your left knee in toward

your chest.

5. Crescent

Lengthens the quadriceps. Begin on all fours (table), step your right foot between your thumbs, making sure your right heel is

beneath your right knee and your left knee is beneath your left hip (so that both knees are at a 90 degree angle). Bring both hands

to your right thigh, pull your right hip back just a little and pull your left hip forward just a little, then lift through the crown of the

head. Too much for the knees? Try it in a chair open your right knee towards your right, slide the left hip o the chair and let the

left knee come straight down from the hip onto a pillow or several blankets.

Most importantly, remember that if you cant smile in a pose, youve gone too far! Back o until you nd that place in the pose

where you can be comfortably challenged. Stay consistent in your practice of these poses, and enjoy your slow and steady

improvement.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

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