Posture Series #11: Standing Head To Knee / Dandayamana Janushirasana.
Get ready… Get set… Lock your knee!? Got that key? Cuz’ it’s time to lock that knee!J Nothing like a little holiday rhyme to get you in the Bikram yoga spirit and thinkin’ about what often seems like one of the most difficult physical and mental asanas within the Bikram yoga series. However, this is quite the contrary, this pose is attainable and it all starts with properly locking the knees.
If you’ve taken a few Bikram classes, then you may be familiar with the fact that we repeatedly hear a handful of vital messages to help us along with our practice and “Lock the knee”, is one of them. As of late, I truly discovered the importance of locking the knee. In these blogs, I think it is beneficial to discuss not only the benefits of the asanas, but preventative tips as well. So, what does all this locking the knee business mean? To properly lock your knee, it is important to know how your knees organically align, then adjust the posture from there.
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| Picture A |
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| Picture B |
For example, I’ve been practicing for about two years now and never knew that both of my knees naturally hyper-extend. In discovering this information, I was able to appropriately adjust the strength in which I was flexing my quadriceps and put more weight towards the front of my feet and on the inside of my toes. By making this modification, I’ve helped myself to prevent future injuries in my knee joints, potentially invasive surgery, and ultimately a more enjoyable practice.
Take a look At picture B to the side and note the dotted line. The leg on the left is hyper-extended and the left to the right is properly aligned. Please look at picture A for a posture reference. Next time you are in the hot room, take a look at your knees in the side mirror and fine-tune your knees to what feels best for you. If you continually hyper-extend your knees, it can cause pain and possible permanent damage. Remember, one of the 8 limbs of yoga is ahimsa, or nonviolence to others and to oneself. Try to practice to the point of discomfort, but not pain.
For those with hyper-extended knees; whether it is in the first part of the posture or in final expression, try to move the weight forward into the front of your foot and big toe. It is often common for people with hyper-extended knees to naturally put their weight on the inside of the foot and heel. This can cause the quadriceps and the back of the leg to sustain the pose as oppose to the core. The core refers to the muscles that make up 360 degrees of your belly, hip flexors, and your lower back. To reiterate, putting the added pressure on the quadriceps and back of the leg could also lead to future chronic pain and injuries. Try to balance the distribution of your weight throughout your whole body. Now that we’ve gotten the “lock the knee” concerns out of the way, listed below are benefits that this posture can offer.
Physical Benefits:
- Builds strength through the body
- Improves flexibility of sciatic nerve
- Strengthens tendons
- Prevents wear and tear of knee cartilage though strengthening of soft tissues around the knee
- Helps clear and prevent problems with digestion, including flatulence
- Helps to develop balance
- Helps maintain sugar levels through compression of the pancreas
- Improves blood circulation throughout the body
- Tones abdominal muscles and thighs
- Improves your sex life through the massage of your reproductive organs
- Helps to decrease varicose veins by exercising the long vein (great saphenous vein) running from the leg to the heart
Energetic Benefits
- Challenge of the posture helps to build patience, determination allowing light-heartedness
- Concentration required unifies the mind and body
- Final expression of the pose involves both control and release, allowing you to let go of old patterns
- Helps to improve confidence and self-worth
- Helps to calm and clear the mind
For any of the 26 postures in the hot room, let go of the need to achieve and win the race. You have the rest of your life to master each posture. Standing head to knee involves patience; one step of the pose must be complete before the next. When engaging in standing head to knee, remember, “You can mess with the Gods, but you can’t mess with your knees” - Bikram Choudhury.
