Problem With Sitting Poses

by Tavie
(Chapel Hill, NC)

I have congenital hip dysplasia and have knee pain when I try to attempt any sitting poses. It is impossible for me to attempt any bending forward with crossed legs without severe knee pain (and no stretch across the hips like I should have). I also can not do the poses with knees bent together and leaning back on my heels without the sharp knee pain. Can I get a vigorous yoga workout without these poses? Standing, supine, and prone positions are very doable. Thanks.


Answer

Hello Tavie, you can opt for a yoga routine which avoids any bending forward with crossed legs.

You can do standing, supine and prone poses. You can start your yoga practice by doing couple of suryanamaskars. If you are following a sequence and cannot do some of the asanas just leave them and proceed further. There is no point worrying about the asanas you cannot do. Instead, devote more effort to doing the doable asanas correctly. Gradually, increase the duration of the pose and if possible do more repetitions.

If you feel discomfort or pain while doing any asana, either do not do that asana or ask your yoga instructor for guidance.

Do include yoga breathing as a part of your yoga practice. If you cannot sit comfortably in any sitting pose, you can do pranayama while sitting on a chair keeping your spine erect.

Hope this helps..

Namaste!
Daljit