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Hyper-extended knees are ruining your yoga practice

Oct 18, 2024

Is that true? To say that hyper-extending your knees is ruining your yoga practice seems a bit extreme, don't you think? 

But, I would say it's true. 

This is coming from a person that had severe hyper extension of their knees in every single balancing yoga pose for over 10-years. 

I thought that was just the way my body was and there was nothing I could do to correct it. 

No teacher ever said anything to me about it, even though I had attended countless trainings and workshops. 

But, then I had a yoga teacher that had decades of experience beyond the average teacher, pull me aside after class one day and show me it actually could be corrected.

It was going to be tough work. I would have to go back to the very beginning of understanding the yoga poses that asked me to stand on one leg. And, I knew that most people wouldn't even want to take this journey, but it was an opportunity to learn more about my yoga practice and more about myself. 

So, I decided to dig and figure out how to get my knee directly over my ankle. 

Here are the top reasons for wanting to get rid of hyper-extended knees in your yoga practice: 

1. Joint Stress and instability. 

Hyper-extension can place excess stress on the knee joint. It shifts the load away from the muscles to the ligaments and tendons, which are not designed to bear that kind of force for extended periods. This can lead to joint instability over time and increase the risk of injury.

Over time, repetitive hyper-extension can contribute to ligament laxity or damage to the knee structures, including the meniscus or cartilage. 

2. Muscle imbalance. 

When the knees are hyper-extended, the quadriceps muscles are working overtime, but also cannot fully contract and engage to support the leg. (What a crazy position to put the body in!)

The hamstrings and other stabilizing muscles like the calves and glutes are likely to become under-engaged. This can lead to muscle imbalances and reduced strength in supporting muscles, affecting overall posture and alignment.

 3. Impact on alignment in other joints. 

Hyper-extending the knees can create a chain reaction through the rest of the body. It often leads to a pelvic tilt or misalignment in the hips and lower back, as the body tries to compensate for the instability in the knees. This can lead to issues in the spine, hips, and ankles.

4. Risk of injury. 

In yoga poses like Warrior III, Standing Head to Knee Pose, Big Toe Hold Pose, and Standing Bow Pulling Pose hyper-extending the knees can increase the risk of knee injuries, such as sprains or ligament tears, especially if combined with poor alignment in other parts of the body.

5. Reduced Proprioception (Body Awareness)

Hyper-extension of the knees can reduce proprioception (the sense of the body’s position and movement) in the legs, leading to less control over movements. This makes it harder to achieve proper alignment and can hinder overall balance and stability in yoga poses.

So, how do you move out of hyper-extension? That's a GOOD question. 

First off, watching the video above. It's going to help! 

Then I would keep in mind these 2 tips: 

1. Begin with a micro-bend in your knee.

Use this micro-bend in all poses where you tend to hyper-extend your knees. This is going to feel wild at first and like you are "breaking rules." 

You're not. You're actually learning how to do the yoga pose correctly.

Good for you for taking this journey. I'm proud of you! Not many people will join you and they're going to end up with all of the issues listed above. 

2. Build muscle awareness. 

Concentrate on knowing the difference between when the quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes are supporting your balancing yoga pose and when they are hanging on for dear life. 

This can take some time to understand, but you will get it! 

Things to look for:

Can you keep your big toe down on the floor and have a proper Pada Bandha? 

Are you falling backwards of your yoga poses? 

Once you are in the yoga pose, can you fully bend your supporting leg knee? (If you can't, you are hyper-extending.) 

What I hope more than anything is that this post gives you the lift off point to explore whether or not you are hyper-extending your knees during your yoga practice and the bravery to fix it. 

I have worked with countless yoga students to get rid of their hyper-extension. Come join me at my next livestream workshop on balancing yoga poses to further grasp this concept. 

Big Hugs, 

Tori