Yin Yoga For The Knees

There is a wise saying, "There are no

knee openers in Yoga." This saying
helps protect our knees when we are
working to open our hips: if the hips are
very tight, the stress of postures, such
as Pigeon or Cowface, will often go
right into the knee and could tear the
meniscus. There is another wise saying,
"No pain, no pain." The philosophy
here is quite clear. Minimize any twist
in the knees, especially as the knee
straightens, and if you experience any
pain at all, back off. But this does not
mean that you can't work the knees in ways that can help them heal or make them stronger.
There are ways to do so, and we will explore a very successful way involving Yin Yoga
principles and some simple props.

If you suffer from pain in the knees due to meniscus damage, knee cap issues, gout or
arthritis, this practice may help you, however, as always, if you have significant issues,
please check first with your health care provider before doing this exercise. [This may not
be a good idea, for example, if you have cruciate ligament damage.]

The technique shown here, which is a variation of Virasana or "Hero's Pose" has been
pioneered in the Iyengar community for many years. It applies the Yin Yoga principles of
a long held stress, held in stillness, and with no pain. I can offer a personal testimonial to
its effectiveness, but I will defer that to the end of this article.

You will need a few props: three cushions (books about

two inches thick could work), some wooden doweling
(start with a smaller diameter dowel first, say one inch and
work your way up over time to 1.5 inches) or even a rolled
up towel. Another option, in place of the dowel, is to fold
up a really thin sticky mat if you have one. Shown here are
the two sizes of dowel you can use, but again, start with the
thinnest one first.

We will start off gently with holds of only one minute in each of the three positions. The
first position uses all three cushions. Place the dowel behind the back of the knees and sit
with the cushion between your feet. Make sure the dowel is snug but not painful. The feet
should point straight backwards. If this bothers your ankles, place towels under them. Stay
here for one minute and notice the sensations you are experiencing.

As mentioned, this is a variation of Virasana. B.K.S. Iyengar claims that Virasana can
create the proper arch in the feet due to stretching of the ankles and the feet. He
recommends a daily practice of a few minutes for several months. He also notes that "those
suffering from pain in the heels or growth of calcaneal spurs will get relief and the
spurs will eventually disappear."1
Position two requires us to take two cushions away, leaving one to sit on, and roll the
doweling back a couple of inches, so that it is on the calves. Then sit back down for
another minute. This position can be very juicy: stay calm but if it becomes really painful,
stop! Position three is the same as position one: pull the dowel snug behind the knees again
but sit on only two cushions. Stay here for a final minute.

Over time, work towards two minute holds in each position, and when you can tolerate
this, try the thicker doweling. If 1.5 inch doweling doesn't work, try 1.25 inch doweling
first.

My own experience has shown this to be an effective practice. I suffered tears in both my
medial menisci. No yoga practices cured the problem, so I did eventually undergo
arthroscopic surgery on both knees however the pain was never completely resolved. The
surgeries did allow me to regain normal function in my knees, but it was at a cost. My
surgeon warned me that the operations would hasten the day when arthritis would occur in
my knees. I am now 8 years post op and my knees are fine, thanks (I believe) to a daily
practice of Yin Yoga for the knees.

My knees issues arose because my hips were very tight when I first started my yoga
practice, but I ignored the warning signals - the burning pain in my knees whenever I did
external rotations of the hips. I damaged my menisci because my ego was too strong and I
believed in the adage, "no pain, no gain." Since my operation, I worked a lot to open my
hips but with zero tolerance for any pain in the knees. Over time my hips opened to the
maximum that they will ever open. I know now not to push them any further. At some
point we all reach our limits and once we get there, we simply have to accept that that is
that. Acceptance of the reality of our limits is very yin.

Yin Yoga for the Kneespractice has helped to keep the space in my knee joints from
collapsing, thus avoiding arthritis. Also, the fact that we stress the knee joint in a safe, non-
painful way stimulates the various cells in the knees to grow more tissues. All tissues need
stress to be healthy: the kneecaps, the cartilage and ligaments are no different. When we
stress these tissues the fibroblasts, chondrocytes and osteoblasts are all stimulated to create
more ligament, cartilage and bone, as well as to secrete the fluids that lubricate the joint.

If you are suffering from knee issues, why not give this practice a try for a few months and
see how you do. Remember though, no pain, no pain!
Cheers,
Bernie