How to Protect Your Knees in Trikonasana Pose in Yoga
Trikonasana, or Triangle Pose, is a pose where the knees are at risk for injury. This is because people "lock out" their knee joints or they place the bottom hand onto the leg and bear weight on that bottom knee joint. Learning how to protect your knees in this pose will help keep your knees pain-free.
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Instructions
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Working in Trikonasana, or Triangle Pose, can build leg strength and increase lung capacity. Not being aware of how to protect the knees, it is possible to overstretch ligaments designed to stabilize the knee joints. Hyperextension means the knee joints are locked out and the back of the legs are moving so far back that these ligaments are prone to tearing. Learn how to work the thigh muscles (quadriceps) to prevent this. Start at the wall, placing your back to it and bending the knees until your legs create a 90-degree angle. You appear to be sitting in a chair. Lift the quadriceps. Remain for about 30 seconds. Rest. Repeat 2 to 3 more times. You will feel your thigh muscles by the last round.
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Now sit on your mat in the center of the room and extend your legs out in front of you.Lift the right foot and place it flat in front of your right hip so that the heel is in front of the sitting bone. Place your hands on the front of the right shin. Lift your left leg and activate the thigh muscles (quadriceps). Also engage your lower abdominal muscles to protect the low back. Lower the leg and repeat to the other side. Rest. Repeat 1 more time each side. You are teaching the thigh muscles to lift the kneecaps up towards the waist.
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Now take both feet flat and wider than hip-width distance in front of you. Extend your arms straight forward as if someone is holding each wrist. Lift your right leg to straight and actively firm the thigh muscles. Engage the lower abdominals at the same time to stabilize the low back. Lower the leg and repeat to the second side. Rest. Repeat 1 more time, each side.
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Now come standing and use your 2 yoga blocks for the next preparation pose. Stand with the feet about 3 and a half feet apart so that both feet and your knees are facing the long edge of your mat. The outer edges of the feet are parallel to the sidelines of the mat to create a neutral rotation in the hips. Microbend the knees and lift the quadriceps in both legs to stabilize the knee. Dial the left foot in about 30 degrees and turn out the right foot about 90 degrees. Place one yoga block outside of the right foot. Extend the arms wide to the sides and shift the hips to the left. Keeping both legs straight, lower your right hand to the yoga block and reach the left hand towards the ceiling.
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To emphasize the action of the right leg, place the second yoga block under the right calf. As you press the mound under your right big toe and inner heel into the mat, lift the right thigh muscles to lift the knee. As you draw the hips left, lengthen the bottom side ribs. As there is a block under the right calf, you cannot hyperextend that bottom knee, nor overstretch the ligaments that support it. Press into both feet to lift up through the top hand to stand. Turn both feet to parallel and rest. Repeat to the left side.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have knee pain or injury, work with an experienced yoga teacher.
