alan little’s weblog

lotus without tears ii

27th April 2005 permanent link

Useful discussion going on at the moment on the ezboard ashtanga yoga discussion group on what to do with your feet in order to aovid hurting yourself while you’re learning lotus position.

I have in the past described online yoga discussion boards as "at best a case of the one-eyed leading the blind". But I actually think this is an area where moderately experienced amateurs like me who have been through learning lotus with tight hips, and consequently had knee problems along the way, might have something to contribute that a lot of even very highly qualified and experienced teachers don’t. A lot of teachers, I think, are teachers because they start off with healthier and more flexible bodies than the average beginner, hence make rapid progress and are encouraged to think "hey, this stuff is great, why don’t I get into teaching it?". Which is fine – but then no matter how many students they have seen, and helped, with tight hips and knee problems, they’ve never been through it themselves. And, as mentioned in the discussion, I think some of the "helping" poses that are commonly taught can be counter-productive and risky.

Sorry Michael, no tips for avoiding any of the "patience and hard work" – just how to avoid damaging your knees while you’re doing the hard work.

Lotus Without Tears Part 1, Part 3

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