Knee Pain and Yin Yoga: What Teachers Need to Know

Season 8 | Ep. 10

Knee Pain and Yin Yoga: Modifications, Surgeries, and What Your Teachers Need to Know

Hey Yinies! Welcome back to the Yin Yoga Podcast. This one is near and dear to my heart because, honestly, I've been living this topic in real time. Between the X-rays, physio appointments, knee braces, and, yes, the electric scooter I bought to get myself to the studio, knee pain has been my main concern lately.

So, I brought back Beth Coyne Lewis, a physiotherapist and Yoga teacher, to help me (and all of you) make sense of it all.

If you missed our last episode with Beth on hip pain, go back and listen to that one first. But if your knees are what's on your mind right now, you're in exactly the right place.

In this episode we cover:

• A breakdown of the main structures of the knee: bones, cartilage, meniscus, ligaments, the IT band, and why all of it matters for Yin teachers and students
• The difference between acute injuries (ACL tears, falls, sports injuries) and gradual wear-and-tear issues like arthritis and meniscal degeneration
• Tracking issues and what they actually mean, including my own 20-plus-year journey with them
• Hypermobility and connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos, and how to safely support those students in your classes
• Common knee surgeries, including meniscal repair, partial and full knee replacements, and what recovery actually looks like today (way better than you might think)
• Beth's own experience of having a knee replacement 12 years ago and returning to teaching Yin
• Pose-by-pose modifications and alternatives for students with knee pain, including saddle, sleeping swan, child's pose, sitting cross-legged, seiza, squatting, and kneeling
• Why figure four on your back is not just a modification, it is a variation that works better for a lot of bodies (including mine)
• How to talk to students about their medical history without overstepping your scope as a Yoga teacher
• Why Yin is so much more than the physical shapes, and how that matters especially for students in recovery

Links and resources mentioned:

Also mentioned in this episode:

Hyper mobility and Yin Yoga

Teaching Saddle pose Help In On The Way

Deepening Yin - The Power of Props

Blog post for this episode with an anatomy image on my website

If this episode was helpful to you, please leave me a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

And Spotify or a comment on Spotify. You can also find a blog post with more details and images on my website, and there's a comment section there too. And if you want to suggest a topic or send me a note, Instagram DMs are always open.

See you in the next one, Yinnies

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