Ankle to Knee Pose: A Seated Hip Opening Pose to Stretch from the Outer Hip into the Lower Back
These poses are powerful for opening from the outer hips into the lower back. For most people, these ankle to knee variations are a little more intense than the Cow Faced variations from the previous post. If the postures are applied in a way that is appropriate for the practitioner they can help reduce tension from the hips to the back and which can help the heath of your spine.
However, with ankle to knee particularly, you need to be careful that the knee does not have unwanted stress on it. You are using the knee as a fulcrum to rotate the hip and, even if it seems that you have good alignment, if you go too far you can stress your knee and over time this could lead to damage. You want your knees in a position as close to a 90-degree angle as possible and your shins as close to parallel to each other as possible in all the variations. If the knee is bent farther than 90-degrees it is easier to damage the cartilage in the knee (the cartilage in the knee is called meniscus or menisci: singular=meniscus, plural=menisci). Therefore, when you are trying to open the outer hip it is worth proceeding with caution. If you were doing a posture like Lotus pose which requires a deeper than 90-degree bend in the knee your hips should be open enough so that it is not an intense hip stretch in order for it to be safe.
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In this first variation the feet are under the knees, which helps protect the knees and makes the depth of the rotation gentle. If this one feels deep enough this is the variation that should be used. If this is too deep, or if your knees cannot rest comfortably on your feet then you should do one of the variations lying on your back.
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This second variation is a little deeper. The shin and foot is resting on top of the lower leg's calf. This variation should only be done if you can fully rest the top shin on the lower shin. If the top shin is not fully resting on the lower shin this one can be more dangerous to the knees than either of the other variations. This variation is deeper than the previous variation but not as deep as the next variation.
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This last variation is the deepest of the three. The ankle has come across to the outside of the knee and is not touching the leg. This one can be practiced safely even if the top shin does not rest on the lower shin. However, if the top shin is more than an inch or two above the lower shin, you should not fold forward. Instead you should stay upright and hold the pose feeling the opening there. You should only fold forward in this posture if the top shin is either resting on the bottom shin or close enough to it so that when you fold it does rest on the bottom shin. This pose should also not feel too intense and if you feel the stretch is too intense or that there is stress in the knees you need to back up to one of the previous variations or one of the variations lying on your back.
Go to: Reclining Hip Opening Postures to Reduce Stress in the Outer Hips and Lower Back
Go to: Cow Faced Pose: Gomukhasana: A Seated Hip Opening Pose to Reduce Tension in the Outer Hip and Lower Back
posted by upsidedowncarl at 5/28/2007 11:15:00 AM
3 Comments:
Hello,
I was doing the last variation of double pigeon, the deepest of the three, where the ankle comes across to the outside of the knee and is not touching the leg. I now have a dull pain in my right hip and feel I have injured something. I was surprised as I am quite open in my hips.
What might I have injured?
Is the only solution rest? if so, how long?
OR (if your not the expert..)
Who could I contact for information on correcting the problem?
any input greatly appreatiated.
stacey
vancouver, canada
2:24 AM, December 11, 2009
It would be a little crazy for someone to do a "diagnosis" and give a "prescription" over the internet without actually seeing the injured person and with only the details you gave.
There are a lot of things that could have been injured though. If it was only muscle then that is not such a big deal. If you damaged cartilage, ligaments or tendons that is a big deal. If you had a certain amount of arthritis in the joint and did not realize it beforehand (which is possible even for people who consider themselves young and are in their twenties or thirties) the movement could have aggravated the condition.
In a sane diagnosis first the injured person should be present so that, if needed, some tests can be done. Also questions like these should probably be asked:
How long were you in the pose?
How deep did you go?
When you were in the pose did you notice a difference between the two sides? When you were in the pose with the right shin on top, which hip did you feel the opening in (the answer is not always the same for everybody)? When you were in the pose with the left shin on top, did you feel the same basic amount of opening in the same basic place or did you feel something different on the left side?
While you were doing the pose did it feel intense or like a relaxed, but good stretch?
How long after doing the pose did you notice the dull pain in your right hip? Right away, hours later, the next day or longer than that?
Is the pain still there or did it slowly go away?
Did the pain start slowly and continue to get worse?
Hopefully your hip gets better and you did not do anything too serious to it. But often people injure themselves in yoga postures by not paying attention to what they are feeling from the pose and trying to get their body to be in the shape they think is the target goal of the pose. An example of this would be: trying to force your chest to your thighs with your legs straight in a seated forward bend; if you should not get there, you can easily hurt yourself if you are insistent on trying to push yourself to get there. The same can happen with the pose I am calling "ankle to knee" and you are calling "double pigeon", but usually when someone hurts themself in "ankle to knee" it is the knee that is most vulnerable and most likely to be damaged.
10:02 AM, December 11, 2009
Consult with a medical professional about the injury. You can't just simply guess basing on the occurring symptoms.
podiatrist Long Island
2:13 AM, January 17, 2012
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