Reverse Warrior posture
Why am I constantly telling you to align your knees in standing bent-leg poses? Because bent-leg standing poses, if done with improper alignment can place stress on your knee joint and cause long-term damage.
The knee joint is a delicate joint. It is a shallow joint held together by ligaments (which join bone to bone) and tendons (which join muscle to bone).
This means that the knee is quite an unstable joint that is vulnerable and sensitive to misalignment and possible injury. If you have experienced knee problems or pain, you know that knees can take a long time to heal and the process can be very frustrating.
The most common misalignment in bent-leg standing poses like warriors I and II, and extended side angle stretch (Parsvakonasana) is for the knee of the bent-leg to point towards or inside the big toe. You may be thinking does it really matter? Well, yes, it does.
Think of your knee joint as consisting of two long columns stacked on top of each other. One column is the thigh bone (femur), the other the shin bone (tibia). When the knee bends there should be no sideways movement.
When your bent-leg knee points towards your big toe, the two columns are twisting and where they meet, they are bent to the side. The gap between the bones at the inner knee also widens straining the ligaments which connect the bones and at the same time compressing the outer knee. What do you get? Immediate pain or pulling sensation. Repeated over months or years this misalignment can lead to long-term knee joint problems.
So, what needs to happen in bent-leg standing poses?
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Align your knee with your shin and second toe (the foot is straight).
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Align your knee with your heel/ankle i.e. your knee is directly above your ankle/heel.
How do you achieve this alignment? Externally (outwardly) rotate the thigh bone (femur) of the bent leg in the hip socket to align it with the shin and foot.
It really is worth checking your knee alignment to ensure that you maintain or build strong, healthy knees. The adage: practice makes perfect really does apply.
So, the next time you do a bent-leg standing pose, take a quick look at you knee and make sure it’s aligned. That way you are taking responsibility for your knees.
