Correcting Misalignments

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi I’m new to this forum and I’m also new to yoga. The reason why I began yoga was because I was searching for a way to correct the misalignment in my legs. I have a condition called genu valgum (commonly known as knock knee). My knees are also hyper extended.

I recently picked up the book Structural Yoga Therapy by Mukunda Stiles. As you all may know, in this book Stiles discusses poses that help align the most common misalignment issues. He actually describes how he corrected his own knock knees in 6 months by doing intensive Warrior II and Tree Pose sessions. I’ve done a fair amount of research and have only found a few articles that support these claims.

I am currently doing a 32 minute session using both Tree and Warrior II. I’m holding each pose for 1 minute on each leg 8 times. My questions are as follows:

  1. I was wondering if any of you have had experiences correcting misalignments similar to knock knees and how those experiences panned out.

  2. And if there are any other poses besides Tree pose and Warrior II that you can recommend that will help me align my legs.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help guide me in the right direction.

#2

Ladybug,

  1. I have not worked with this particular issue. However I sense you’re looking for some validation and what I can tell you is that my teacher, in his 40+ years of practice (and his teacher) do work with such issues. While it is clearly critical to have a teacher for therapeutic yoga it is also important to mention that the student has to be have the urge to chenge, the willingness to grow, a fire for the doing and patience - along with proper eating habits and meditation.

  2. For working knock knees is it not so much poses as it is actions. And so yes there are other ways to work the required actions and those other ways include other postures. Again a reason to have a seasoned teacher craft a practice.

#3

Thank you for the response.

As I’ve stated above I have a 32 min routine utilizing Tree Pose and Warrior II. The reason for this is because its a nice even number and allows me to do an even amount of sets for each asana.

Is there such a thing as too much yoga? Would it be too much for me to extend this routine for a longer duration of time? How about multiple sessions in one day.

I recall in one of his post in the Q&A section of this forum, Mukunda responds to the poster with a similar question with, “as long as you can hold it”.

Should I be training myself to hold the poses for longer and longer periods of time?

Thanks again.

#4

There is no such thing as too much Yoga however here we are only discussing asana, the postures which make up a small sliver of a much larger tree.

Since I’m not familiar with the ins and outs of the student (you) nor am I familiar with the particular protocol the student is following (Mukunda’s) I cannot specifically say one way or another. I simply don’t know.

However what I can say in a general way is that the integrity of the posture should always trump the duration of the pose. Obviously there is degradation over time. They are inversely related such that as time goes up, alignment and integrity go down. So continuing an exploration of the pose (I don’t care for the nature of the term “holding” as it implies a static condition which only exists after our last breath) is perfectly fine as long as that is done while maintaining integrity - of alignment, of breath, of thoughts, of intention, of action.

That is not to say that remaining in a pose beyond the time you think you can remain is without benefit. It is just a benefit we’re not currently discussing in this thread.

#5

I get what you’re saying. Thanks so much for the quick responses.

#6

One thing you may want to look into is bodywork in conjunction with a yoga practice. Structural Integration or Rolfing can have dramatic effects on changing the shape of your body.

One consideration in doing any physical practice to change your knock knees is whether it is bone structure that is causing it, or just muscular tension. In general, tightness in the adductors is part of the issue. However, if you have had knock knees since you were little, it’s likely that your bones have grown into the shape as well. Bone shape is generally harder (sometimes impossible) to change, while muscular tone and connective tissue shape is more malleable.

If you search, you can likely find a Rolfer or Structural Integration practitioner in your area that is also trained as a yoga therapist, or a movement therapist of some kind, so that you can pair these practices together.

#7

hi i want to know from ladybug if she has made any progress so far with the posses aimed at curing her knock knees.

#8

Hi Ladybug
Did you make progress with your knees ?
I hope you have found healing and wellness
It would be great to hear from you
thank you and Greetings