Yoga for Aching Knees

Yoga for aching knees? Will yoga help with knee pain?

Whether you’re an avid runner, a keen cyclist, a weekend hiker, or simply someone who experiences stiffness from sitting at a desk all day, knee pain can be a frustrating and persistent issue. For many, the knees are among the first joints to show wear and tear. 

Knee pain can limit your day-to-day activities and get you down. This post outlines the benefits of yoga for aching knees. We’ll suggest some gentle poses you can try to relieve knee pain.

Yoga for Aching Knees

What Causes Knee Pain?

Yoga for Aching Knees

Knee pain can have various causes, including injury, arthritis, overuse, or misalignment during movement. The knees are complex joints, responsible for supporting much of your body weight, so it’s no wonder they can be vulnerable to strain. Muscle imbalances, poor posture, or stiffness in the surrounding muscles – like the hamstrings, quadriceps, or hips – can all contribute to knee discomfort.

Conventional treatments for knee pain often involve rest, physical therapy, or painkillers. Yoga offers a complementary approach by strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee and improving your flexibility. Additionally, by increasing awareness of how the body moves and functions, it can improve your posture and alignment and help prevent injury and wear and tear on the joints in the future.

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How Yoga Can Help with Knee Pain

Yoga is not only about flexibility; it’s also about strength and stability. Many yoga poses engage the muscles around the knees, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles. When these muscles are strong and supple, they help to stabilise the knee joint and reduce the strain on it. Here are some ways yoga may help with knee pain:

Strengthens Supporting Muscles

Strong muscles around the knee joint help to absorb impact and reduce pressure on the joint itself. Yoga focuses on building strength in the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and hips, which are all crucial for supporting the knee.

Improves Flexibility

Tight muscles around your knee can pull the joint out of alignment, leading to knee pain. Yoga stretches these muscles, in so doing improving the flexibility of the knee and relieving tension. For example, tight hamstrings or hip flexors can contribute to knee strain, but regular yoga practice helps to release this tension.

Increases Body Awareness

Yoga encourages you to become more mindful and aware of your body, helping you to notice how your body moves and functions. Increasing your awareness of how you move will help you to recognise movement patterns or postures that might be contributing to knee pain and enable you to correct them.

Promotes Proper Alignment

Proper alignment in yoga is essential for preventing injury and ensuring that the body moves efficiently. Many yoga poses focus on maintaining correct alignment, distributing weight evenly and reducing pressure on the knees.

Reduces Inflammation

Certain yoga practices, like restorative yoga or gentle stretches, can help reduce inflammation in the joints. By increasing circulation and promoting relaxation, yoga can support the body’s natural healing processes.

Yoga for Aching Knees
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Yoga Poses for Knee Pain Relief

If you’re living with aching or painful knees, try these gentle yoga poses. These poses will strengthen the muscles that support the knees, improve flexibility, and promote proper alignment.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

Mountain pose is a foundational yoga posture that helps to improve posture, balance, and alignment. It may seem simple, but practising it regularly can be incredibly beneficial for your knees.

How to do it:

Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart. Ground your feet through all four corners of your feet.

Engage your quadriceps by lifting your kneecaps slightly without locking your knees.

Lengthen your spine, draw your shoulders down away from your ears, and reach through the crown of your head.

Hold the pose for a few deep breaths, maintaining the engagement in your legs.

This pose helps to align the body and build awareness of how your weight is distributed through your feet and legs, which can alleviate pressure on the knees.

To support your knees further it is a good idea to develop ankle strength, a one leg tadasana is a great way to begin, as balancing even just by lifting the heel from the floor engages the muscles around your ankles and knees.  If you can, raise one knee and keep the foot engaged.  Set the foot down gently and lift the other knee.

Basic postures for beginners yoga mountain pose

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Chair pose is excellent for strengthening the muscles around the knees, particularly the quadriceps and glutes.

How to do it:

Stand with your feet together or hip-width apart.

Bend your knees as though you’re sitting back into a chair, keeping your knees behind your toes.

Engage your core and thighs, and lift your arms overhead.

Hold the pose for a few breaths. Then release your arms.

This pose builds strength in the thighs and glutes, which are key muscles for supporting the knees and reducing strain.

Yoga for aching knees chair pose

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Bridge pose helps to stabilise the knees by strengthening the glutes, hamstrings and lower back.

How to do it:

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Feet should be hip-width apart.

Press into your feet and lift your hips towards the ceiling, keeping your knees aligned with your hips.

Squeeze your glutes and engage your hamstrings as you hold the pose for several breaths.

Slowly lower your hips back down onto the mat.

This pose helps to strengthen the posterior chain (the muscles at the back of the body), which can improve knee stability.

Bridge pose beginners yoga Edinburgh

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

Warrior II strengthens the legs and helps to open the hips, improving alignment and balance.

How to do it:

Take up a wide legged stance. Turn your right foot 90 degrees and your left foot slightly inward at about a 45 degree angle.

Bend your right knee so that it’s directly over your ankle, keeping your left leg straight.

Extend your arms parallel to the floor and gaze over your right hand.

Hold for several breaths, then switch sides.

This pose strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, which all contribute to supporting the knee joint.

beginners yoga Warrior 2

Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)

This restorative pose helps to reduce swelling and inflammation in the knees, making it a great option for days when your knees feel particularly sore.

How to do it:

Sit down next to a wall and come to lying on your back, swinging your legs up onto the wall.

Your hips can be slightly away from the wall, or closer depending on your flexibility. If it feels more comfortable use a yoga bolster to support your lower back.

Let your arms rest by your sides and relax for several minutes.

Legs Up the Wall allows blood to flow away from the legs, helping to reduce inflammation and promote relaxation.

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Tips for Practising Yoga with Knee Pain

Yoga can be incredibly beneficial for knee pain but it’s important to take certain precautions before and during your practice. Here are a few tips to ensure you get the most out of your yoga practice without aggravating your knees:

Check with your doctor or physio first

Before practising yoga check with your doctor and physio about any movements or positions to avoid.

Warm up before starting to exercise

Always warm up before practising yoga. This is especially important if you have problems with your knees. Gentle stretches or a few minutes of light activity before starting a class is a good idea.

Avoid locking your knees

In yoga, it’s crucial to maintain a slight bend in the knees to avoid hyperextension, which can strain the joint. Keeping a micro-bend in the knees will protect the joint and engage the surrounding muscles.

Focus on alignment rather than getting into a particular position

Always pay attention to proper alignment in each pose, particularly in standing poses like Warrior II or Chair Pose. Aligning the knees with the ankles will help distribute weight evenly and avoid unnecessary pressure.

Use props to support your body

Use props like yoga blocks and straps to support your body during yoga. These can help you maintain proper alignment without putting undue stress on the knees.

Listen to your body

Yoga is all about tuning in to your body. If a yoga pose causes pain or discomfort in your knees, back off or modify the pose. It’s always better to work slowly and gently. Never attempt to push through knee pain.

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Yoga for Aching Knees

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Knee pain doesn’t have to hold you back from enjoying movement and feeling good in your body. With a gentle approach, and making sure you always listen to your body, yoga can help you regain strength, flexibility, and confidence on and off the mat.

Every body is different so there are no specific poses to avoid but anything that requires a lot of mobility in the knee such as pigeon pose should be taken very carefully. Yoga should not cause you any pain, the notion of ‘no pain, no gain’ does not exist!  If you experience any pain then come out of the pose and move into one that feels more aligned to your needs. Your teacher will guide you.

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