This was kind of in my toolkit when I was on crutches and had a lot of knee problems, so I wanted to share it with you today. If you liked the video be sure to share it with others who might need a little love for their knees as well and with that being said, let’s, go on and grab your chair, a sit on the very edge of it.
We cook about a 90 degree angle, feet gently resting on the ground or the mat will come into the breath, really feeling our toes lightly connecting with in earth our palms rest on the side. Each inhalation and exhalation grow a little taller through the spine, releasing the shoulders down and away from the ears breathing in and out through the nose.
We’ll, take five more breaths here to just plug in and connect after that 5th exhalation. If you have the eyes closed, we’ll, go ahead and blink them gently open keeping the gaze saw throughout the practice.
I really invite you to keep connected through the feet. Keep that grounding touch that can be so easy to lose. Sometimes, when we’re on crutches and lose connection with our toes sitting up nice and tall, and he’ll arms up overhead and exhale the hands to heart center, just coming into the breath a little finding this three more times at Your own pace this time as we once again, lift the arms overhead and we’ll leave them there.
We’ll just relax the arms, and can you shake out the shoulders a little bit? Maybe parents, I’m creaking. I got a few little shoulder cracks, going, get not fluid moving and then we’ll, go ahead and release the arms down.
We’ll end the hell interlace, the palms together and exhale just press the palms away, rounding through the spine holding here for a few breaths, as we stretch into the back for the shoulders and now and back up to Center, really plug the shoulders Into their sockets, as we lift the arms up overhead noticing, if our shoulders start to trail up by our ears and just gently, releasing those back down just slowly easing into this, and we’ll, go ahead and grab the left wrist with the right Hand lifting up gently through that side body and just gently lean over to the right trying to keep the weight even in the hips rolling the heart open.
I’m coming back through Center, we’ll, just swap out the configuration of the hands leaning over rolling the heart open trying to keep the weight even in the hips. If we start to lean a little bit lean coming back up through the center well exhale the hand starts enter pausing for a breath.
Take a few breaths here again, just focusing on that connection with our bodies. It can be so easy to lose when we experience injury go ahead and inhale arms up overhead. This time as we bring the hands down interlace the hands behind the base of the neck and just gently lift up opening the heart.
Opening the elbows lifting the gaze. Getting to warm up our back body a little bit releasing down go ahead and take a few little gentle rolls in the neck. Getting those creaky places rolling back the other way.
Just very gentle. We’re, not trying to knock ourselves around push ourselves anywhere that our body, doesn’t want to go just wake it up a world coming back to Center, we’ll move into a modified cat cow, so inhale arch.
The spine and the heart forward palms rest on the thighs and exhale curl, sitting back making sure that we’re sitting towards the front of our chair. So we don’t hit the backrest we’ll move through this.
A few times inhaling as we arch forward and exhale curling back this even just feels good. If you’re sitting in an office now let’s start to get creative with this taking some circles and getting into those creaky places.
Reversing the direction of the circle you notice in the chairs creaking a little bit that’s cool, then coming back to send terrible in the hell. If the arms up overhead exhales me cactus arms out spinning the elbows forward and really opening the heart as we lift the chest, releasing arms down and he’ll flip the arms out and up cactuses arms again, really rounding opening the heart release and Now the arms up – and this time we’ll, just take a very gentle twist over to the right.
The right arm can just rest on the back of the chair, so we’re, not twerking, pulling pushing but really using the core to twist gazing over the right shoulder sitting up nice and tall inhaling back through to Center arms float overhead when exhaling Over to the other side and hands gently rest on the back of the chair and on the outside edge of the left knee sitting up nice and tall as we bring the gaze over the left shoulder and then releasing back through the center.
We’ll, now arms up overhead and exhale fold forward rounding the spine a little bit. This rounded spine can help mimic the effects of Child’s Pose or a forward fold if we were standing or on our knees and then inhale, lift and lengthen halfway and release rounding the spine.
Let’s. Do this two more times opening the heart forward and releasing the hands can also rest on the shins. If we’re feeling a little tighter, then we’ll roll up through the spine vertebrae by vertebrae arms.
Lift overhead palms come to heart center will flow through this modified vinyasa. Here inhaling the arms up overhead and exhale fold forward, lifting halfway up that forward full curling through the spine as we inhale arms up overhead and exhale hands to heart center.
We’ll move through this modified vinyasa, one more time, inhaling folding forward over the leg, lengthening the spine, halfway really finding length there, exhale release and curling up through the spine and all the arms up overhead.
This time we’ll open the legs out wide toes, turned out arms. Come open into this modification of goddess, pose still rooting through the feet through the toes, but there’s, no pressure. No, you know impact on the legs.
We can still get all the benefits of the posture: the heart opening the core, strengthening the hip opening take two more breaths here, maybe bringing the hands into a mudra and then releasing arms. We’ll, go ahead and turn the toes forward, keeping the knees wide see if you can walk the hands out.
Too much pressure on the knees?
If this is too much pressure on the knees, you can always sit back in the chair further. That takes some of it off, but this is a good hip stretch, especially if you can’t sit cross-legged right now and if that’s too much, you can bring the palms to the thighs.
Try to keep a flat back neck is long, take one more deep breath here and then keeping the spine long, lift back up. Spinning the toes out once more. Let’s end the hell up into ganas. Again, gaze lifts slightly heart opens and then we’ll, go ahead and rotate on the chair so that all our weight is on the right hip.
The left knee bends, the back toes tuck and we come into this – modify no impact variation of Anjani asana that lunging posture arms. Lift up gaze lifts really try to tuck the tailbone well exhale cactus.
The arms then see if you can draw the palms together either pressing lightly together or draw the right arm over the left. Coming into Eagle arms, you can bring the backs of the palms together or wrap them completely in the Hills.
We roll the heart, open shoulders plug down and see if you can exhale fold forward slightly again. If this is too much in the knees you can keep it lifted up or you can bend forward a little towards the inside of that right.
Thigh Yogi’s; choice, exhale, release this way and all the arms up again, we’ll twist towards the back of the chair. Heart opens coming back through the center here and then we’ll, just swivel around back to that goddess, pose making our way towards the other side can almost drop that right.
Butt cheek off the side of the chair, the left left sits bone is supporting all the weight, keeping that left knee very perpendicular to the floor as we inhale the arms come up. Overhead gaze may lift slightly Oh cactus the arms opening the heart this time bring the left.
I’m on top of the right, maybe bringing the backs of the palms together or wrapping them Eagle, arms plugging the shoulders in maybe lifting into a little heart band, heart-opening bend. And then, if you’d like you can fold forward, if that feels good to you or you can stay upright Yogi’s, choice for two more breaths releasing arms will inhale up and open the arms into a twist towards the back Of the chair, maybe you don’t, go very far.
Coming back through the center, we’ll, come back into that goddess pose this kind of you know base station. If you will and then we’re gonna find that low lunge on the right side, one more time, arms lift tucking.
Those back toes bending that back knee again minimize impact and also help stretch the psoas muscle a little bit draw the arms together. This time see if you can interlace the hands behind the back, you can keep the elbows bent or reach them out.
Opening the heart. You can rest them on the back of the chair. If you’d like or lift them up for more of a challenge. Releasing that vind, we’ll, come back up, draw the palms to heart center and leaning with the core.
Try to come into a twist, you can either just twist upright or bring that left knee. Your left elbow scuse me to the outside of the right knee for again a modified twisting with each inhalation lengthen the spine.
Now, as you exhale, maybe twist a little deeper coming back up through the center, and this time we’re, actually going to keep the right foot facing this way and see if you can extend that back leg coming into a modified warrior two.
Keep your arms parallel to the floor gaze over the right fingertips, back foot rooting firmly into the ground on an inhalation go ahead and flip that right palm and reverse your warrior, really keeping the side body long.
The weight is in the right sets bone the right butt cheek, moving back through Center, bring the right elbow to the right knee and extend the left arm overhead again in this side angle, variation rolling, the heart open, we’ll, take one more deep Breath here and then coming back through to warrior two: let’s, go ahead and draw the knees together in front.
We’ll, take a little vinyasa and heling the arms overhead exhale fold forward. Inhaling you’ll, be whipped. Halfway, releasing down rolling up through the spine as we lift the arms overhead finding that goddess pose again this time, taking it over to the left.
Spiraling on the toes left toes point out: sideways inhale arms up, drawing the elbows behind you interlace the hands. If that feels good, try to put the opposite finger on top this time, rolling the heart open, maybe stretching out the arms that feels good, releasing down lifting the arms up overhead growing long through the spine, as we draw all the palms together in front of the Heart and then twist over exhaling deeply finding these nice variations of standard yoga yoga postures you coming back through Center, see if you’re gonna swivel, that back foot down to warrior two, maybe maybe walking the feet a little forward to take some Of the intensity out of the hips gaze over the left, fingertips flip both palms up to plug the shoulders into their sockets and then flip them back down.
Parallel to the floor, flipping that left palm reverse your warrior back and restaurant Lee on the thigh, drawing the elbow to the knee come into that modified side angle. Drawing up through Center go ahead and draw the knees in taking that modified vinyasa.
If you’d, like we’re, just pausing and breathing, we’ll open up into goddess, pose swiveling through to that warrior. Two on the right side: flip your palm reverse your warrior and then drawing that forearm to the thigh.
Coming into that modified side angle, or if you’d like if you’re feeling feisty, you can draw your arm down again. Just listen to your body, listen to what your knees need. What your hips need, where your mind or your heart needs.
Drawing back up coming through the center may be moving through bona fide vinyasa stretching out the spine, oh and back up finding that goddess pose as a brief pit stop before we flow to warrior two on the other side and always option to bend that back knee.
If this is not working for you today inhale reverse your warrior, drawing it through to side angle, maybe staying up here or dropping it down coming back through to Center, drawing the knees and well inhale flow through one more vinyasa, then we’ll meet With the palms at the center of the heart, pausing for a few breaths before we come into some cooling stretches, blinking the eyes open will inhale the arms overhead are actually going to do.
A modification of Eagle pose so drawing the right arm over the left. Taking your Eagle arm variation, lift the right toes up and over the left thigh you can either tuck the toes or wrap it. However, you’re feeling sit up nice and tall plug the shoulders down.
Lift the heart just experiencing that compression and that shoulder stretch can really help releasing the arms just reach out with that right hand, and lift that right knee up coming into a modified rooty, hasta padangusthasana, which is essentially hold your leg up, sitting up nice and tall.
Rather than dunking down left hand can come to the hip, maybe flexing those right toes and then just draw that right leg out to the side gently stretching the hip opening. If that doesn’t feel good on the knee.
You can support it. Underneath your thigh, coming back through to Center grab that leg with the left knee and just twist open to the right either cactus the arm or extend it out, then modifying some common standing poses.
We’ll, come back through to center release the leg. Keep it lifted for just a moment and release it down switching over to the other side, so go ahead and he’ll. The arms up left arm comes over the top this time.
Do your little Eagle, wrap lifting the left leg left thigh squeezes the top of the right. If that feels good to you taking a few breaths here, maybe the toes connect to the mat Robi Singh right hand comes to the hip.
Lift that left leg up flexing the toes coming into this modified standing, pose sure keeping the weight even between the hips. Hmm again moving the hand, wherever feels best for your body today, go ahead and open it up sitting up nice and tall, drawing it back through.
The center will grab that left knee with the right hand and just open up into a twist keeping those left toes lifted, maybe feeling it a little on the hips none drawing back through Center. We’ll, go ahead and release knees, bring the palms to the thighs, take a moment to pause, to reflect a little to connect a little, and then we’ll, go ahead and do one final twist and now arms up exhale twist Using the core, maybe noticing a difference between the start of practice and now releasing back through Center will twist over to the other side, coming back through Center, one, more n, L, arms up and exhale draw the hands to heart center.
Taking a moment to thank yourself for practicing for being brave enough to still practice yoga, even with certain modifications with certain injuries that can feel so intimidating, I can feel so difficult to overcome.
Just take a moment to thank yourself for showing up today. Thank You. Yogi’s for practicing with me today. I hope this practice has brought you as much joy and hope as it brought me when I was recovering from injuries, and I hope you’ll come practice with me again soon.
Thank You. Namaste! Just pause for a moment: Child’s, Pose
