Pain in the knee in Saddle and Virasana

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csynnottj
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 4:40 am
Location: Boucherville, Québec

Pain in the knee in Saddle and Virasana

Post by csynnottj »

Hi Bernie, hi Yinsters,
I had my participants doing saddle pose (1 leg at a time) the other day and one participant had the impression that her knee was about to tear. I asked her to try sitting with one block in Virasana to see if it was better for her knees and if she could feel a stress in her quads. Her knees was still hurting. With two blocks, no pain in her knees but no stress in her quads either.
So... My thought process was 1) to find another pose to affect her quads but not her knees. Any ideas? Second thing, is it a good approach to suggest her to spend some time with two blocks between her feet in Virasana to make her knees feel good, then, get a block and little towel and see how this goes and reabilitate her knees even if she doesn't feel a thing in her quads. Then get back to one block and maybe by that time, her knees would feel better and she could find the stress in her quads?
Thanks a lot for your insights!
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

What to do if Saddle is not available

Post by Bernie »

You are right to make sure that your student does not remain in the Saddle Pose when her knees complain. Sitting up higher might prevent any pain, but if the knees still hurt, then Saddle is not the pose for her, not yet anyway. If your intention is to target her quads and hip flexors, there are other postures that can do that: Swan, Dragon, Reclining Windshield Wipers, Cat’s Tail, etc. However, to help her knees tolerate sitting on her heels, some stress there is desirable, just not so much that she feels pain. One approach is to tuck a folded yoga strap (fold it many times) in the back of her knees while she sits in Virasana on several blocks. The folded strap (or rolled-up towel) may provide enough space that she feels no pain there. Over time she can reduce the size of the padding and sit on fewer blocks.

There was a Newsletter article a while back discussing another variation that has helped people with knee issues, but your student may not be ready for this approach. It was called Yin Yoga for the Knees. You might want to have your student read it. There are also many other threads here on the Forum talking about knee issues.

Good luck!
Bernie
csynnottj
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2013 4:40 am
Location: Boucherville, Québec

Post by csynnottj »

I remembered the wooden stick behind the knees but didn't think about the strap. Good idea. I didn't see my student, but I wanted to thank you for your answer. If I have a creative idea from when I see her, I will write back.
Thanks again
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