Yoga for Healthy Knees: What You Need to Know for Pain Prevention and Rehabilitation (Yoga Shorts)

I was looking for exercises or stretches to help a problem knee; I knew essentially nothing about yoga and decided to read this brief guide by Sandy Blaine. Blaine, an adherent of Iyengar yoga, here focuses on knee health, and I found it to be helpful in planning a routine to help my knees. I am a runner and have had one knee surgery which was somewhat successful, though I still have lingering pain and range of motion reduction in that knee. I found this to be challenging and I always was mindful of Blaine's advice to not start too quickly or do anything that causes pain in the knees. Hyperextension is one big issue dealt with, and others flow from that and other anatomical and fitness problems (collapsed arches, etc.)Most of the book is very well designed and easy to follow, but there are several times when she uses terminology that might not be obvious to neophytes, or uses terms early in the book and then explains them later. These are generally minor points, and I agree with her that this book would be much better used if employed in conjunction with a qualified instructor as some of the directions are baffling for the novice, e.g. "lengthen your tailbone toward the floor." (How exactly does one do that?) I do like the list of props for each exercise and the explanation of the purpose of each pose. Some poses I thought would be difficult were easier than I expected (e.g. the "Half Downward-Facing Dog Pose," Ardha Adho Mukha Svanasana) while some that seemed simple proved much harder than expected, especially the "Half Frog Pose," Ardha Bhekasana; it's not supposed to hurt the knee (Blaine warns you about this) but this is very difficult for my bad knee without pain.Overall I think this is a good brief introduction to yoga for knee health; if you have had surgery or have one knee that is much worse than the other the book may be frustrating, as symmetry between sides is emphasized. For the price I think it's worthwhile and a good value: I wanted it to help me become more injury resistant and flexible, and for those goals I like it.

My knee pain was from meniscus tear on both knees aggravated by much undesirable pressure on the knees - moving kids from dorm to apartment, apartment to apartment, several times. Most of the move's consisted of lifting boxes of books and sometimes chairs and tables. None of this helped.From Advil, I had graduated to prescription pain killers when I found this book. A first for me was that I actually read this book within a week or so of Amazon delivering it. The book's so well got up that it was not hard to get thru the book at all.What I liked most about the book was that it's easy to hold while you're on the floor, so you can do a quick read about the pose, put the book down and then try the pose. That's what I did. Within a couple months of getting the book, I'm on to some 10 poses in the book. I do them every morning. It takes me little over half hour but saying that it's worth it is probably an understatement.I dont feel the heaviness in my knees any more. I'm able to easily sit cross legged on the floor which I was not able to do before, I'm able to do sun salutations which I was a little scared about attempting earlier. I complement the morning stretches with an hour long walk in the evening just so I give myself some exercise. My lower back and calf muscles feel a lot less tight now. I'm also experimentally off my painkillers for about two weeks now.This is a great gift for anyone who has poor knees i.e., has limited movement in the knees, for whatever reasons. The author describes every pose carefully including how a beginner might find it a little hard, where you'll feel the stretch if you're doing the pose right etc. There's also a handy selection of poses you might want to do if you were pressed for time in your daily schedule. There are some 14 poses in the book, I'm onto some 10 of which I'm comfortable with 7 and I started just a few weeks back. It's harder to get this comfortable so soon even with a personal teacher.The illustrations are great. The model does not look ultra slim like an Olympic gymnast or anything like that :) which could sometimes discourage ordinary people from even trying out the poses. It has an index and suggestions for further reading. The best is the suggested schedule if you had only 15 to 20 minutes, 30 to 45 minutes or an hour every day. Clearly the author has much experience with people who spring a variety of excuses to refrain from incorporating a stretching regimen into their daily schedule.If you have bad knees, this book is definitely for you.

I've had knee pain off and on some 20 years. I happened to see this while looking for yoga goodies for my home practice (I just started yoga, whatta difference for the better in a short time!, never stopping now!!!) Thought this book might help with that strange grinding and transient pain I get... OMG! This book makes complete sense as to why most of us have knee pain!!! The poses work on strengthening and stretching everything around the knee (actually the entire rest of the leg!) so the knee gets some relief to do only what it is supposed to do. Knee pain? Stretch those quads and hamstrings and groin muscles! I just went through the majority of the poses right from the beginning, and let me tell you, within the first 3-4 exercises you will realize why your knee hurts by showing you how tight the main working leg muscles are. Why couldn't my original knee doctor figure this out??? Why did he have me struggle with exercises that FOCUSED on the knee, which of course I had to stop since it hurt and never seemed to help?! I am going to incorporate these poses into my home practice ASAP--I can feel the nice stretch I just got in the thighs and hips without feeling like I blew out my knee.The book has 3 main sections: 1. Factors in common knee problems 2. Practicing yoga for knee care 3. Everyday knees. The first and last sections are pretty short, but to the point. The second section is all the poses you should focus on to help the knees. Poses are meticulously described, good photos (not creepy) of what the pose looks like and even has model using props for support (like many of us will need when we start!) There is also a part for putting the sequences together for active rehabilitation, healthy knee maintenance, and my favorite... I don't have time to practice! sequence.A very well-thought out book that makes it obvious how to begin helping your knees--thank you Sandy!!! An excellent book!

Very good reference.

What a wonderful book! So informative and written by someone who has suffered with bad knees herself. I have patellofemoral syndrome in both knees (cyclist/runners knees) and fallen arches in both feet (just like the author) and this had helped so much. I felt a difference in my knee pain within a week of using the exercises in this book.Each exercise has a photograph to go with it and each exercise is simple to practice.I am so glad I found this book. If you are looking for a quick fix, this is not the book for you. It will take time for your knees to heal with aid of this book but, I promise you, this book is worth it. Buy it, you won't be sorry.

This book is just what I needed to help with my painful knee. The explanations are fantastic and the diagrams and text all easy to understand. Thoroughly recommend this book, with or without knee problems. Brilliant ...... cured my dad's bad knees too!!

This book is very clearly illustrated and the explanations for each move are very easy to understand. I would recommend this to anyone who suffers from pains in their knee joints.

Good quality and arrived promptly