“Lock your knee.” This is very difficult to understand.  Been told for years to never do this.  Please help me understand.
Posted by Matt on 01/21 at 10:56 AM

Hello Matt

Thanks for the question. I am going to assume that you are asking about the ramifications of locking the knee and not the anatomy of the knee!

Firstly, I think you have something there. There are lots of commands in the Hot Yoga room about locking the knee. I know that many people I have spoken to have also not really understood. When I started teaching I noticed that many were pushing their knee backwards, their knee joint locking the leg straight. Furthermore, with another too frequent command to “shift the weight” to one leg meant that students were leaning into one leg using the bones and joints to support them without necessarily using their muscles.

Effective knee locking can only benefit you if you engage and work your muscles. I prefer to tell my students to “pull up your kneecap with your quadriceps muscles”.

Locking the knee can be a controversial action to some. Your ability to have any sort of shock absorption in the leg is going to be greatly compromised (or non-existent) if the leg is locked. If you are walking, running and jumping you need your muscles, and joints and other structures to absorb some of the shock. If you are standing doing a yoga pose building balance, or building leg strength for only one example, then having a firm leg is going to do more for you. You will encourage strength, stability, stamina in those muscles, and you will effectively remove a linkage in your leg (by locking the joint) and make balance more likely. It seems that if you want to build optimal strength in your leg (and open up your knee joint area) then at some stage you are going to need to lock your knee.

There are many conditions where a locked knee is a symptom of an underlying more serious problem. This would be where the leg can neither straighten or bend (to some degree). So possibly some may be confusing the requirement to lock the knee in Hot Yoga poses with these problems.

Please let me know if that answers your question
Namaste
Gabrielle

Hi.  I am recovering from an ankle injury (tripped gracefully down a flight of stairs and twisted/sprained my left ankle).  My knee on the left side was also effected.  The knee is not too bad now.  I still have a lot of thightness and weakness when I move my ankle in any direction.  Are there any poses that I could do that would help stretch and strengthen my weak ankle.  I would appreciate any advise that anyone would have to pass along.  Thanks.  Sam

Aloha Gabrielle,

My knees hurt but only in standing bow, floor bow and tree pose. The pain is usually above (sometimes below) the knee cap and in bow is a result of extending my leg against the resistance of my grip. In tree I believe the pain is caused by my knees taking more of the stretch than my tight hips. I try to do pigeon pose often to loosen my hips (this will take some time). I was wondering if you have any suggestion on how to decrease my discomfort in bow. Thank you so much, Mud

I attend Bikram Yoga Memphis two times per week.  I am 41, but in pretty good shape (six foot one, 195, fairly low body fat, former college football player, and work out 4-5 times every week).  I also work out with kettlebells and do a lot of high intensity interval training on the treadmill.

I can’t lock my knees in standing head to knee, but, until recently, could go pretty deep in separate leg stretching.  There was no specific event, but I recently noticed that my right hamstring was very tight and I had a 4-5 inch circular bruise on the muscle.

I have been receiving Scenar treatments, have decreased the intensity of the sprint work, but have kept going to yoga.  My teachers have suggested stopping the depth on the hamstring when there is pain.  Intuitively, I think they are correct, but I wanted to see if you had any advice to add.

Would the comments to the person on another thread on this site who has one hamstring that is tighter than the other apply to me?

Thanks!

Tom

Hot Yoga Doc,

I found your site while searching “tight hamstring”.  I have been attending Bikram classes since Dec. 20, 2007.  I go regularly.  My right side is very loose and I can perform all of the leg stretch poses with no problem.  My left side however, is giving me trouble.  I tried to push it to do what the right can. I pushed too hard and caused soreness in my hamstring.  Now I’m carefull to bend the knees. I can’t wait to try the standing seperate leg strech as you illustrated with photos of your friend.  I have torn my hamstring as a young girl at a track meet, so I’m sure this is the cause of the tightness.  How long will it take to loosen?  What can I do before and after class to help avoid further injury?

Luanne

Hello Luanne

Thanks for your email. The above message talks about an article I wrote recently. Here is the link: Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga

One of the simplest ways to open the hamstrings is with reciprocal inhibition - the normal way opposing muscles work. When you fully lock the knee by pulling up the knee cap with the help of the quadriceps muscles then the hamstrings relax to their fullest extent. The above article explains though why there is a better way in Hands to Feet pose and Standing Sep Leg Stretching. The clasp knife reflex is used there to better work the opening of the back of the body then straightening the leg.

So Luanne and all those out there who have rounded backs in Sep Leg Stretching, bend the legs and pull, lift the hips while ironing out your back. For more info about this amazing reflex David Coulter’s book “Anatomy of Hatha Yoga” has a great explanation. Borrow it from your library if you seek that kind of detail.

What you probably need is PRECISE technique when you practice your poses and patience. The heat obviously is your best friend here too. If you have an asymmetry then your tighter side will probably determine your depth in many cases.

Another technique which I won’t explain right here but is also within the pages of the above book is a specific technique of combining an active stretch with a massage of your golgi tendon organs.

Finally, yin yoga practiced after class when you are very warm will coax those leg muscles into safe stretches. Get a book, ask your teacher or go online for some free resources.

Looking forward to hearing of your progress.

Kind regards
Gabrielle

i have another question that do yoga practice daily but when i try to do poses like siting wideangle pose in that pose i am not able to touch the floor....while doing uttanaasana i am not able to touch my knnees...plz suggest something
Posted by fatima on 01/22 at 08:06 AM

Hello again Fatima

Your poses aren’t Hot Yoga poses but I can definitely see how you can get more leverage on your stretches and get what you want! I would modify the uttanasana slightly to incorporate a strong active stretch component… In doing so you will work a deeper stretch through the whole back side of the body. It will transform this pose into the Bikram pose called Padahastasana or Hands to Feet pose.
Much of the principle involved is within the text at Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga.

In place of Uttanasana, bend the legs to ALWAYS keep the body and chest sandwiched tightly against the thighs. Instead of hands either on the floor or behind the ankles, bring the fingers underneath the heels directly from behind. When you pull on your heels make your focus lifting the hips while squashing the body on the legs, NOT straightening your legs. Straight legs is the cherry on the top and is NOT necessary to get the stretch. The more you pull with your biceps and try to get your elbows behind, the more you will feel a great stretch. The more you pull the more you will feel the stretch through your back as well as your hamstrings and tone your arms in the bargain. Keep lifting the hips. Drop some weight into the toes. Why this works well is that it uses something called the clasp knife reflex (that you can Google for more info if you like or check out the anatomy book recommended below).

In Wide Angle Pose you need to get more length in your inner thighs (or your adductors). Using the same principle you can prepare for this by sitting with your back against a wall, legs straight out wide for your stretch. You will need someone else to hold your legs apart wide while you resist this and pull your legs in against their grip in an isometric fashion. Use your adductors as much as you can and then massage or rub the ‘cordlike’ structures at the top of the inner thigh for about a minute. You should feel them gradually release. The effects of this single exercise lasts for a couple of days. So try your pose straight after and stay in it for a few minutes.

I do teach these things in my studio for students who need specific stretches. If you need help in understanding these concepts or are interested in reading an easy to read anatomy book (really!) then check out David Coulter’s Anatomy of Hatha Yoga. David explains things very well and clearly. I paraphrased his exercise from page 42 of his book in the previous paragraph.

Have fun stretching yourself
Gabrielle

I have knee pain during standing separate knee stretching. Especially when I spread my legs further apart.
Posted by christian on 01/21 at 08:58 PM

Hello Christian

You seem to have answered your own question

I don’t know how flexible you are but if you have a straight back and straight legs in this pose then you must make sure your quadriceps muscles are well clenched.
My intuition however, tells me that you need to step out less far, bend your legs and keep your back straight.

I have a full explanation at: Opening Up Your Hamstrings In Hot Yoga which is an answer to a similar question. It has photos too!

You should NEVER have knee pain in any of your poses (as distinct from knee discomfort).

Namaste
Gabrielle

PS this whole posting is repeated in the forum of the pose name.

Hi Gabrielle:

I’ve been doing the Bikram Yoga for 4 years now and LOVE it for what it’s done for my back.  It’s helped to prepare me for the job I’ve just started that is very physically demanding.

One thing I’m noticing lately is that after every class, the back of my left leg is hurting i.e. where the hamstrings are.  I don’t see any bruising but I notice the discomfort after every class. I’m taking it easy on that side as best as I can however I still notice the discomfort.  I think that is the side though that I injured a few years ago while doing Bikram.  I overstretched it.  So if it’s scar tissue, could that be the discomfort.  I’m afraid of overstretching it though but it’s not progressing any further i.e. with my range of motion.

Any suggestions you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Gerard. Posted by Gerard on 01/21 at 03:53 PM

Hello Gerard

Just recently in my blog I started a topic called:
Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga. I think this may have some practical considerations for you to apply to your practice.

Would you mind telling me if you lock out your legs in Hands2Feet, Standing Separate Leg Stretching, the Sit-Up, and in Floor Head to Knee? In sit-up do you finish looking at your knees?

If you wouldn’t mind answering my questions and maybe giving me some particular instances where you feel the hamstrings hurting that would be great.

Waiting for your response!
Kind regards
Gabrielle