Foundations . . . Stacking our Joints
As we move through our yoga poses, we are mindful to stack our joints creating a firm foundation and protecting our knees, hips, ankles and wrists.
In standing positions, like Mountain pose (Tadasana), we keep our ankles, knees, hips, neck and head in one straight line, reaching up and pulling down.
We are mindful to keep our knees soft and in alignment with our ankles.
We are mindful to keep knees stacked over ankles to minimize stress on our knees.
Lunge poses
In a lunge pose, one leg is extended forward and the other extended backward. The forward leg is bent at the knee and the knee is directly over the ankle.
Lunge poses include poses such as Warrior I, Warrior II, Lunge, and Crescent Lunge.
When practicing lunge poses, be mindful to stack your forward knee over your ankle. Your knee should be pushing to the outside of your foot.
The big toe and second toe should be visible.
Be most mindful that your knee does not collapse inward. This will put undo pressure on the knee.
Floor Support Poses
In floor support poses, our shoulders are stacked directly over our wrists.
Floor support poses include poses such as Table, Cat/Cow, Upward Facing Dog and Plank.
Be mindful to keep shoulders stacked over wrists to minimize pressure on our wrists.
Push shoulders forward to be sure they are over wrists.
Fists for Wrists
Fists for wrists can be used for weak or injured wrists.
We make a fist and place the flat side of our fist on the ground for support.
Our fists provide support and minimize the pressure on our wrists.
Be mindful to keep shoulders directly over wrists when using “fists for wrists.”