David explains the kinds of range of motion necessary to do full lotus pose. He shares that, while often challenging, lotus pose is anatomically possible.
Should I Be Opening My Knees for Lotus?
This month, David answers a question about whether you should open your knees for lotus? You shouldn’t, you should focus on your hips. When it comes to lotus he suggests that opening the hips with preparation postures can be very beneficial.
Knee Injuries in Yoga: When Are Your Knees Most at Risk?
When are yoga practitioners most at risk for knee injuries? David reports on the experiences of our survey of 2000+ practitioners regarding knee injuries in yoga and injuries in lotus-type postures.
Lotus – Right Leg First?
There are two answers to the question of whether we should always put our right foot into lotus first? One answer is tradition. The other is anatomical. Check out this question of the month for more details.
Why Is Doing Lotus Pose Upside Down Easier?
I currently have left medial knee pain when attempting full lotus pose so for now I only take things as far as half lotus pose. (Smart). When I lay on my back with knees bent, I am able to bring my right foot to half lotus then slowly bring my left foot into full lotus. I feel no pain in supine full lotus but only a slightly tighter left knee.
Flexed or Extended Foot in Lotus Posture
I’ve been hearing for years that we should flex our foot in various yoga postures where we have our knees bent at ninety degrees or more. More recently I’ve received two seperate emails regarding the application of this technique to lotus posture. Should the foot be flexed or extended in padmasana? It’s time I throw in my own two-cents on this topic. As many of you know, I’m for whatever works. If it helps when you flex your foot, then the answer is flex your foot. But why does this work? Is it necessary?
Padmasana Article
The basic goal of all the asana practice is finding and maintaining a comfortable padmasana (lotus pose) for meditation. There are a few key anatomical components and principles to finding this comfort. The foundation of the pose is the crossing of the legs and “sit bones” comfortably on the floor. With a firm foundation we find an upward energy and lift in the spine, which eventually becomes effortless.
The Knee Part 2 by David Keil © 2005 Enlightened Practice Magazine
In Part 1 of this article we left off looking at the deepest, most intrinsic structures that make the knee function as it does. In this part of the article we’ll continue to look at another deep structure, the meniscus and also talk about some of the soft-tissues (muscles and ligaments) that affect this joint and how it all fits into our yoga practice.
The Knee Part 1 by David Keil © 2005 Enlightened Practice Magazine
In our last article, we looked at the part of our anatomy that grounds us, literally, the feet. Making our way up the body, the next major joint we come to is the ever elusive and sometimes tricky knee. This knobby pair of joints are often an enthusiastic topic of conversation amongst yogis as it seems everyone knows somebody who’s either injured a meniscus or torn an ACL, or done “something” to it.
Inner Knee Pain – Lotus Not Blooming by David Keil © 2010
As much as I’ve already written about the knee, it never seems to be enough. I often take a poll in workshops when heading into the knee section and on most occasions one quarter to half the students will raise their hands when asked how many people are experiencing knee pain? This isn’t necessarily a yoga problem, but it’s showing up there. Of those students that raise their hand, many of them are dealing with inner knee pain.
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