Your knees are hard-working shock absorbers. If your shock absorbers (knees) remain healthy, they will sustain a healthy upper body. Many people suffer from knee pain due to arthritis, osteoarthritis, or discomfort from hectic life. Say goodbye to these knee issues that make you uncomfortable.
Yoga helps to keep knees healthy and strong. It lengthens and strengthens the surrounding thigh and calf muscles, helping to ease the pressure on the knees. Injuries and knee problems are often due to mechanical issues with the kneecap, which then impacts the ligaments and the joints. Here are some knee pain exercises and Sukshma Vyayama to develop the inner, outer, upper and lower muscles equally.
Exercise 1: Knee flexion
Stand at the back of a chair and hold its headrest
Lift one leg and bend it from the knee
Pull your toes towards your leg
Place it on the floor
Lift another leg and flex the other knee backward
Repeat it five times
Hold each count for five seconds.
Practice it twice a day
Exercise 2: Knee extension
Sit straight on the chair
Extend your knee to the front
Pull your toes towards your leg
Hold for five seconds
Repeat with the other leg
Repeat it five times
Practice it twice a day
Exercise 3: Thigh contraction
Sit straight on the floor
Place a rolled towel beneath your knees
Contract your thighs, pushing your knees down toward the floor
Place your palms behind your hips on the floor. Fingers pointing backward. Palms help to balance the body when you push your knees downward
Repeat it five times
Hold each count for five seconds.
Practice it twice a day
Exercise 4: Calf-raise and push down
Climb on a staircase holding its railing
Place all your foot toes on the stair. The rest of the foot palm is in the air
Lift your heels and push your toes on the stair
Next, push your heels down in the air
Repeat it five times
Hold each count for five seconds.
Practice it twice a day
Exercise 5
Standing up, lift one leg
Bend and straighten up from the knee
Tighten the buttocks and leg and then bend forward from the waist slowly
Keeping your posture as straight as possible, stretch the toe. Stay in this position for five seconds while breathing normally
Inhale while raising and exhale while lowering the leg
Breathing out, gently come back to position one
Repeat five times for each leg
Practice it twice a day
Sukshma Vyayama 1 Janu Naman
Sit straight with your legs extended forward on the floor
Inhale and clasp your fingers supporting under your right thigh
Exhale to bend one knee
Straighten the leg while inhaling
Don’t let the heel and toes touch the floor while practicing it
Repeat five times for each leg
Practice it twice a day
Sukshma Vyayama 2 Dwijanu Naman
Sit straight with your legs extended forward on the floor
Place both palms flat on the floor at the side of the hips. It will balance your posture
Bend both knees together and place the feet in front of the hips
Inhale to straighten the legs so that the feet are a little above the floor with the toes pointed outward
Hold this position for five seconds
Keep your back straight during the practice
Exhale and bend the knees. Bring the legs to the starting position
Practice five rounds, maintaining the balance in posture
Practice it twice a day
Sukshma Vyayama 3 Janufalak Akarshan
Sit straight with your legs extended forward on the floor
Place your palms flat on the floor behind your hips and fingers pointed toward the hips
Gently contract the muscles surrounding one kneecap while inhaling. Pull the kneecap toward your thigh
Hold the contraction for five seconds
Exhale and release the kneecap contraction
Repeat five times for both knees
Then you can practice with both knees together
Practice it twice a day
Sri Sri Yoga Level 1 is a 4-day yoga beginner program. Learn an authentic, time-tested yoga sequence in just eight hours. It tones your muscles, improves flexibility, boosts digestion and enhances energy levels.
Yoga for knee strength
If you are not suffering from knee pain and wish to maintain your knee strength, practice these asanas: Standing forward bend or Uttanasana, Warrior II, III or Veerbhadrasana, Wide-angle seated forward bend or Upavistha Konasana, Crescent moon pose or Anjaneyasana, Triangle pose or Trikonasana and Bridge pose or Setubandhasana.
Final Note
These asanas and exercises increase the strength and flexibility of the knees after an injury. They guard against future injuries or problems. These are good for increasing blood flow and nourishment, which it sends to the surrounding joints and ligaments.
Based on inputs by Mayur Karthik, Faculty, Sri Sri Yoga
Written by: Pratibha Sharma
We’d love to hear from you!
Please write to us @artofliving about your experience with this set of knee pain exercises.
Caution: It is vital to practice these asanas with caution. If you have an existing knee ailment or other joint problems, you should do yoga asanas and other knee exercises cautiously without over-exerting yourself. For any queries, contact info@srisriyoga.in (for India) and info@srisriyoga.in (for abroad).
Related link
How yoga can keep you from joint pain
FAQs for knee pain
When winter sets in, the atmospheric pressure drop. This pressure change can cause your joints to swell more than usual, leading to increased pain.
- Stop standing or sitting too long
- Do not work out without warm-up
- High-impact exercises such as running, jumping, swimming and hopping can further injure painful knees
- Don't practice lunges and deep squats, as it adds a lot of pressure on your knees
Ayurveda experts suggest reducing the intake of inflammatory foods like sugar and gluten-rich eatables. Intake of anti-inflammatory foods such as green-leafy vegetables and fruits is encouraged to heal any joint pain.
- Limiting your physical activities can backfire into knee pain
- Running around in old shoes without the proper support
- Practicing asanas without warm-up
- Overlooking knee pain and not attending to it for long
- Squatting the incorrect way
Sukshma Vyayama (as shown in the blog) soothes knee pain in the elderly.