{"id":191,"date":"2014-12-04T00:57:47","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T08:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/10.0.1.8\/crow\/?p=191"},"modified":"2018-09-17T09:45:13","modified_gmt":"2018-09-17T16:45:13","slug":"prop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaphysics.com\/yp\/2014\/12\/prop\/","title":{"rendered":"Prop Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"~YJLogoBlack_highres-2\"<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Alignment Cues Decoded: \u201cMicrobend Your Knees\u201d <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Originally posted by Yoga Journal<\/a> on November 6, 2014<\/span><\/p>\n

I realized not long ago that most yoga students understand\u00a0little about why teachers do and say what they do in\u00a0a class. I was acting a little like the Wizard of Oz, making demands from behind an\u00a0all-knowing curtain, with no explanation as to\u00a0why. But there really is a method behind what might sometimes seem like madness.\u00a0This series aims to pull back the curtain and expose\u00a0what goes on in a yoga teacher’s head.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alignment Cue:
\n<\/b><\/span>“If you hyperextend, microbend your knees.”<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an infamous instruction that confuses new and seasoned practitioners alike. The first problem with it is that most students have no idea if they even hyperextend their knees or not (unless they were dancers or gymnasts or have taken a teacher training<\/span>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AlexandriaCrowpaschimottanasana\"<\/p>\n

How do\u00a0I know if I hyperextend?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Hyperextension is the anatomical ability to take a joint past it\u2019s normal limits of mobility. It\u2019s something your body simply does or doesn\u2019t do, based on how you\u2019re put together. The knee is a condyloid joint, it moves in three different ways. It flexes (bends), extends (straightens), and has a limited amount of rotation available in certain positions. Hyperextension of the knee<\/span> is when it can extendbeyond<\/i> straight. Sit with your legs straight out in front of you on the floor and press your knees as straight as you can. If your heels lift off of the floor, they hyperextend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Micro-wha…?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The second problem with this cue is that those who do hyperextend and know it, often don\u2019t solve the issue simply by slackening their knee joint. \u201cMicrobend\u201d simply doesn\u2019t teach the efforts required to keep everything safe and working.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Your Teacher Could Say…<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStraighten your knees. Now engage the muscles at the back of your leg as if you\u2019re trying to bend your knee slightly, as you\u00a0firm the muscles above your kneecap to keep your knee straight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hyperextenders must learn to contract their hamstrings and calf muscles (which bend the knee) enough to straighten it and then maintain that effort while using the quadriceps to keep the knee straight. It\u2019s as if you\u2019re letting the muscles that bend and straighten the knee duke it out in a fist fight. But neither wins. It\u2019s a stalemate, and the knee stays straight and supported from both sides. No matter your level of flexibility, you can benefit from that stability.<\/span><\/p>\n

To keep reading visit YogaJournal.com<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

\n \n YES! I WANT TO LEARN.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n