Dear Yoga Students,
Did you know that hundreds of people get knee surgery every
single day?
Just in the last year, 4 of my close friends had surgery! One
was a yoga teacher, another was a runner, and the last two
hardly did anything physical at all.
So what’s up with our screwed up knees?
Here’s what’s going on: we wear shoes all day long that support
our arches, pad our feet from the earth, and do an amazing job
of creating MASSIVE muscular imbalances that make our
knees prone to injury.
Let me make it really simple for you:
High Arches = Strong Knees
Flat Feet = Knee Problems
“But what if my feet are naturally flat?” you ask.
Well, then you’ve got to strengthen your arches to protect
your knees, and here are some exercises to get you started:
ARCH STRENGTHENING EXERCISE #1: run up stairs or
run on a stair-climber. Strong calves muscles create strong
Arches; and stairs keep you “on your toes” and build arch
strength very quickly.
ARCH STRENGTHENING EXERCISE #2: put a towel on
the floor, and using your toes, grab the towel, lift it off the
ground, and then drop it. Do this again and again until you
feel your foot and calf muscles starting to fatigue.
ARCH STRENGTHENING EXERCISE #3: with your feet hips-
width apart, stand up high on your toes, and bend your knees
halfway down. Extend your arms parallel to the floor, and hold
for 60 seconds (if you’ve ever done a Bikram class, this is part
2 of the Awkward Pose series). After 60 seconds, rest, and then
do it 4 more times…
… or you could skip all of the above and move to an island
like me where you can wear flip flops and go barefoot
all year round:)
Stay bendy,
Lucas
YOGABODY Naturals LLC
p.s. If you’re knees are REALLY a problem, I’d also suggest
focusing on the “Writs, Twists, & Ankles” series (day 5) in my
YOGABODY Stretching Handbook.
Stretching exercises & yoga postures made easy
3 Comments
at 8:13 am - 21st July 2010 Permalink
I didn’t know that yoga can also provide reliefs in muscles pain. I heard that yoga helps in making our spirit and mind free from stress, tension and anxiety. Thanks for sharing such an info with us.
at 10:58 pm - 8th August 2010 Permalink
I have high arches that means I have strong knees right? Now I just want to ask if the stages you write above still applicable to me or can I just skip those and proceed to a more complex arches exercise?
at 9:03 am - 13th August 2010 Permalink
I have high arches. But after a day of wearing high heels my feet and lower leg would really hurt. I’m seriously on the step taking yoga classes, I have been so stressed of my work and want to break free from it. I have been reading your site, its so helpful and inspiring.
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