Sore Joints from Yoga - HELP!

sjaykay13

Hi All, I have done yoga on and off throughout the years but have recently started going to classes twice a week. I have recently lost 25 lbs but still have 135 lbs to go until goal. Obviously my joints get stressed from all the exercise I do (spinning, zumba, etc.) but yoga seems to be the absolute hardest on my knees, elbows, wrists and ankles. Any suggestions on weight training and/or other exercises to help prevent injury and help my yoga workouts?

CollieFit

Do you do yoga in a class?
How good is your instructor? Can you ask for feedback on whether you're doing positions correctly? I see some downright shocking warrior positions with knees tracking all over the place etc.

Do you strtch out after stuff like spinning? It could be that for instance tight hamstrings are pulling on other leg ligaments which start to bother your knees.

If you have any particular positions that cause you grief, for instance if Lotus hurts your knees, ask your instructor for alternative postures.

KatrinaWilke

Usually Yoga is supposed to help your joints!! There might be several reasons you are feeling pain.

1) Doing the poses wrong or trying to push yourself too far
2) Hyperextending your knees
3) Imporper alignment of your feet and knees
4) Not warming up correctly or enough before hard poses
5) Not utilizing yoga blocks if you are not flexibe enough for some poses

sjaykay13

I do yoga in the class and the instructor is great at giving me modifications. It's a small class so she is always providing feedback and I seem to be doing well from her perspective.

I stretch after spinning. I also use foam rollers to help with my sore leg muscles.

I try really hard not to hyper extend me knees, I rarely straighten them fully.

I use the yoga blocks alot!!

BUTTTT
I could possibly be pushing myself too much
I may have improper alignment of feet and knees, so I will ask my instructor next class
I should probably focus on stretching after every workout, not just my classes

CollieFit

On an outbreath gently try to almost glide a little further into a position, but never try to force a posture by pushing/pulling. General rule of thumb is that when you want to start holding your breath you're forcing things.

sjaykay13

On an outbreath gently try to almost glide a little further into a position, but never try to force a posture by pushing/pulling. General rule of thumb is that when you want to start holding your breath you're forcing things.

That's a good thing to remember, I noticed last night that my breathing was off. I think I am probably just pushing myself too much.

cafeaulait7

There are some very subtle changes that help take the stress off of your joints in many poses. I don't know if your teacher emphasizes active muscles, but in strength poses particularly, I think it's very important. Don't let your joints hold the weight of a pose all on their own. Work those muscles! PULL from the muscles. Hold up your body actively, using every muscle in your body if you have to Poses don't look active, but most are!

Some of the stretching poses are great to just relax into the pose, but in most you should be feeling the pushing and pulling of your muscles finding a balance in the pose. You can even work that to focus on which muscles do more work in a pose on purpose. If you hold a pose for a long time, you'll usually feel this happen naturally: you start recruiting other muscles than the main ones worked to help you stay there longer.

I hope that makes sense. I know it sounds subtle, but it makes a world of difference.

KatrinaWilke

I do yoga in the class and the instructor is great at giving me modifications. It's a small class so she is always providing feedback and I seem to be doing well from her perspective.

I stretch after spinning. I also use foam rollers to help with my sore leg muscles.

I try really hard not to hyper extend me knees, I rarely straighten them fully.

I use the yoga blocks alot!!

BUTTTT
I could possibly be pushing myself too much
I may have improper alignment of feet and knees, so I will ask my instructor next class
I should probably focus on stretching after every workout, not just my classes

Even if you are doing everything correctly, you could be sore because your body isn't used to it. And like you said, you still have a good amount to lose. So your joints will always be stressed slightly.

Also your body might need some time to condition. I always had issues with my wrists and shoulders hurting when I did planks. Really nothing helped me except losing weight and doing more and more planks. I lift weights and make sure to do lots of shoulder work too. Now my shoulders never bother me when I do a plank.

But you know your body best. So you have to make the decision to push through or to stop because something might be seriously wrong!