November 3, 2025 • 13 mins
In this second episode of our pain-focused series, I'll explore what it really means to support students with sensitive knees across a few different yoga class formats.
I’ll discuss how weight-bearing in vinyas, alignment expectations in Iyengar, deep/long holds in yin, and prop use in restorative can either aggravate or alleviate a student's knee discomfort. You’ll learn why:
- knee pain is rarely just about the knees themselves
- how the hips and ankles influence knee health, and
- how nervous system sensitivity can make even “simple” poses feel unsafe for a student.
Most importantly, this episode gives you solutions. You’ll walk away with ideas for variations that make yoga accessible without isolating students or making them feel "less than." And you’ll learn how language, sequencing, and your compassion can empower your students to trust their bodies and their practice, especially while they're dealing with chronic pain or injuries.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Monica (00:00):
Imagine a student comes to your class with knee pain.
Knee pain can be one of thebiggest roadblocks to students
feeling comfortable andconfident in your classes.
In this second episode of ourpain focused series, we.
Let's explore what it reallymeans to support students with
sensitive knees across a fewdifferent yoga class formats.
(00:22):
We'll talk about howweightbearing in vinyasa
alignment expectations inIyengar deep, long holds in yin
and prop use in restorative caneither aggravate or alleviate
knee discomfort.
Welcome to the EssentialConversations for Yoga Teachers
(00:43):
Podcast with me.
I'm Monica Bright and I've beenteaching yoga and running my
yoga business for over a decade.
This is the podcast for you.
If you are a yoga teacher,you're looking for support.
You love to be in conversation,and you're a lifelong student.
(01:03):
In this podcast, I'll share withyou.
My life as a yoga teacher, thelessons I've learned, my process
for building my business andhelpful ideas, tools, strategies
and systems I use and you canuse so that your business
thrives.
We'll cover a diverse range oftopics that will help you,
(01:26):
whether you're just starting outor you've got years under your
belt and you wanna dive deep andset yourself up for success.
I am so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
some laughs along the way.
Now let's do this together.
(01:49):
Welcome back to the podcast.
I'm Monica, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Here we talk about the anatomy,the injuries, the nervous system
insights, plus all the real lifeknowledge you wish had been
included in your yoga teachertraining.
Welcome back to part two of thisseries on teaching yoga to
students with pain in part one.
(02:10):
Last week's episode, I discussedhip pain, and today we're gonna
talk a little bit about kneepain, which is just as common,
if not more so in yoga classes.
The knees are one of the mosttalked about joints in yoga
because they are complexvulnerable.
Often caught in the middle ofwhat's happening above and below
(02:33):
them at the hips and the ankles.
When a student tells you theyhave knee pain, it can mean a
number of things.
It could be discomfort fromcartilage wear arthritis, or an
old injury like a torn meniscusor ACL.
It could also be pain that'sactually being influenced by.
(02:54):
The hips, the ankles, or even anervous system that's sensitive.
What's important for us as yogateachers is to not play the role
of medical professional, but toacknowledge the pain, create
options, and understand howyoga, sequencing, and class
environment can either aggravateor support the student's needs.
(03:19):
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe anatomy of the knee joint.
It is a hinge joint, but it'snot a simple hinge.
The joint allows for flexion andextension, but also a small
degree of rotation when the kneeis flexed.
This is why certain yoga poseslike Lotus Heroes pose or even
(03:41):
deep lunges can be problematic.
These asanas ask for combinedmovements like hip rotation and
knee flexion that may go beyondwhat a student's knee is able to
tolerate.
Recognizing this complexity willhelp you resist automatically
placing blame on a student'stight hips or poor alignment,
(04:03):
and instead see that some kneessimply don't appreciate those
ranges of motion and thereforeposes look and feel different in
their bodies.
In the last episode, wediscussed how hip pain appears
in different yoga formats likevinyasa and restorative.
So let's do the same with kneepain.
(04:24):
First.
In Vinyasa style classes,transitions are often the
biggest issue.
Stepping forward from downwardfacing dog into a lunge can be
tricky If the student's kneedoesn't track well or if their
hip and ankle aren'tcooperating, or if a student is
thrusting the movement asopposed to controlling it.
(04:47):
Repetitive warrior poses canalso place strain on the knee if
the stance is too wide or ifstudents feel pressured to go
deeper than what feelssupportive for their individual
bodies.
It's an excellent practice as ayoga teacher to normalize.
Shorter stances, emphasizestability over depth and remind
(05:10):
students that their knee doesn'thave to stack in some perfect
way or alignment to be safe.
If you're teaching poses likeLotus, which requires hip
flexion and external rotationand knee flexion and some
rotation, I'm sure you realizehow challenging this.
Is for students.
(05:31):
Hip external rotation is hardenough, but think about teaching
knee rotation to students whohave never consciously performed
that movement, have limitedrange, or who are experiencing
any number of knee injuries.
I'll be honest, Lotus Pose isnot one that I still teach these
(05:53):
days, and I take a good look atthe mechanics needed in other
poses and recognize when theyaren't appropriate for group
class settings.
Now let's look at Iyengar styleclasses.
Here we know the focus is onalignment, and that can be a
double-edged sword.
On one hand, the props and theattention to detail are
(06:15):
wonderful for giving studentsupport and ways to access
poses.
On the other hand, the rigidrules like insisting that the
front shin be perpendicular inWarrior two can make students
feel like they're failing iftheir knees don't cooperate, and
these strict.
Alignment based classes, the wayyou use your language is key.
(06:38):
Instead of dictating what theknee must do, you can invite
exploration.
You could say, notice how yourknee feels in this stance.
Could shifting your footposition or adjusting your
stance Make your knee feel morestable.
This kind of language reducesfear and gives students agency
(06:59):
and is especially important inthese types of rigid alignment
focused classes.
If you're a yin teacher, youknow the knees are particularly
vulnerable, long holds, imposeslike saddle.
Dragon or even butterfly cancreate strain on ligaments or
(07:20):
compressive force on themeniscus.
As a yin teacher, you canemphasize that discomfort in the
knees is not the goal and shouldnot be tolerated.
Encourage your students to usebolsters under their thighs,
blankets behind their knees, orto swap out poses entirely.
(07:40):
Yen is not about chasingsensation in the joint, but
about accessing stillness in away that the body can sustain
for longer periods of time.
Finally, in restorative yoga,knee pain often arises when
joints aren't supported.
A simple supine position withthe legs extended may feel
(08:01):
uncomfortable if the student hasknees that tend to hyperextend,
Providing a rolled blanket undertheir knees can help to ease
strain, similarly in legs, upthe wall, bending the knees
slightly with.
Bolster can make the pose moreaccessible for those with knee
sensitivity.
Restorative practices areparticularly supportive because
(08:25):
they allow the nervous system todownregulate.
However, if a student is in painor discomfort, it's difficult
for their nervous systems toshift to a more regulated state
because they don't inherentlyfeel safe.
students who experience painalso tend to carry anxiety about
(08:45):
movement and restorative yogacan be helpful in reminding them
and their nervous system thatrest and safety are possible.
But we have to work to help themfind safety in our classes.
Now, beyond the class formats,it's also important for me to
highlight the nervous system'srole in knee pain.
(09:06):
Pain isn't always a directmeasure of tissue damage.
Sometimes a knee can look fineon an MRI and still.
Feel painful in practice.
This is where your role as ateacher goes beyond
biomechanics, offering studentschoice, reminding them that it's
okay to step back or modify.
(09:27):
And creating an environmentwhere their nervous system feels
safe can reduce the intensity ofpain and help them reconnect
with movement in a positive way.
One of the biggest fears I'vefound that yoga teachers have
is.
What if I have multiple studentswith knee issues in one class?
(09:48):
This is where adopting aflexible mindset matters.
Instead of thinking, I need tocreate a completely separate
sequence for each of them, youcould think, how can I make this
class accessible for multiplebodies?
That might mean offering astanding option in place of
kneeling, providing chairs orwalls for balance, or allowing
(10:12):
students to either opt out orreduce the range of certain
transitions.
It won't make your class lesseffective.
It will actually make it moreinclusive, but you have to be
willing to shift your thinkingon pain injuries and the nervous
system.
Your students don't expect youto heal their injuries.
(10:32):
What they need is a teacher whois calm, confident, and flexible
in their approach to teaching.
It's your sequencing choices,your language, and the way you
set the tone in class thatcontribute to whether students
with knee pain will feelexcluded, or empowered.
(10:53):
In the next part of this serieswill move on to the shoulders,
which often carry the burden ofboth mobility and stability
issues.
In yoga.
I'll talk about how shoulderpain shows up in different
formats, just like we've done inthis episode and the last, and
how to approach load bearingposes, like downward facing dog
and Chaturanga, and how nervoussystem regulation ties into the
(11:17):
experience of shoulder pain fornow.
Take what we've discussed aboutthe knees and think about how
you'll apply it in your classesthis week.
Encourage your students toexplore their own ranges,
normalize variation, and aboveall, remind them that yoga is
about meeting themselves wherethey are not about fitting into
(11:41):
a rigid mold or looking likeevery other student beside them.
Understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Ana have on the body helpsyou help your students.
If you've been enjoying theseepisodes, I know that you're a
yoga teacher who's ready toteach with more intention and
less fear around injuries.
(12:02):
Now let's continue to raise thebar for how yoga supports real
bodies in real.
Life.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes, sizes, alignment, and
abilities come to your classesand you can serve all of them.
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
(12:25):
It's important to understandmovement and the issues students
come to your classes with.
Subscribe to the podcast soyou're always in the know when a
new episode drops.
And share it with another yogateacher who you think would love
to be in on these conversations.
And finally, thank you forhelping to spread the word about
this podcast.
(12:46):
Alright, thank you forlistening.
That's it for now.
Bye.
Imagine a student comes to your class with knee pain.
Knee pain can be one of thebiggest roadblocks to students
feeling comfortable andconfident in your classes.
In this second episode of ourpain focused series, we.
Let's explore what it reallymeans to support students with
sensitive knees across a fewdifferent yoga class formats.
(00:22):
We'll talk about howweightbearing in vinyasa
alignment expectations inIyengar deep, long holds in yin
and prop use in restorative caneither aggravate or alleviate
knee discomfort.
Welcome to the EssentialConversations for Yoga Teachers
(00:43):
Podcast with me.
I'm Monica Bright and I've beenteaching yoga and running my
yoga business for over a decade.
This is the podcast for you.
If you are a yoga teacher,you're looking for support.
You love to be in conversation,and you're a lifelong student.
(01:03):
In this podcast, I'll share withyou.
My life as a yoga teacher, thelessons I've learned, my process
for building my business andhelpful ideas, tools, strategies
and systems I use and you canuse so that your business
thrives.
We'll cover a diverse range oftopics that will help you,
(01:26):
whether you're just starting outor you've got years under your
belt and you wanna dive deep andset yourself up for success.
I am so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
some laughs along the way.
Now let's do this together.
(01:49):
Welcome back to the podcast.
I'm Monica, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Here we talk about the anatomy,the injuries, the nervous system
insights, plus all the real lifeknowledge you wish had been
included in your yoga teachertraining.
Welcome back to part two of thisseries on teaching yoga to
students with pain in part one.
(02:10):
Last week's episode, I discussedhip pain, and today we're gonna
talk a little bit about kneepain, which is just as common,
if not more so in yoga classes.
The knees are one of the mosttalked about joints in yoga
because they are complexvulnerable.
Often caught in the middle ofwhat's happening above and below
(02:33):
them at the hips and the ankles.
When a student tells you theyhave knee pain, it can mean a
number of things.
It could be discomfort fromcartilage wear arthritis, or an
old injury like a torn meniscusor ACL.
It could also be pain that'sactually being influenced by.
(02:54):
The hips, the ankles, or even anervous system that's sensitive.
What's important for us as yogateachers is to not play the role
of medical professional, but toacknowledge the pain, create
options, and understand howyoga, sequencing, and class
environment can either aggravateor support the student's needs.
(03:19):
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe anatomy of the knee joint.
It is a hinge joint, but it'snot a simple hinge.
The joint allows for flexion andextension, but also a small
degree of rotation when the kneeis flexed.
This is why certain yoga poseslike Lotus Heroes pose or even
(03:41):
deep lunges can be problematic.
These asanas ask for combinedmovements like hip rotation and
knee flexion that may go beyondwhat a student's knee is able to
tolerate.
Recognizing this complexity willhelp you resist automatically
placing blame on a student'stight hips or poor alignment,
(04:03):
and instead see that some kneessimply don't appreciate those
ranges of motion and thereforeposes look and feel different in
their bodies.
In the last episode, wediscussed how hip pain appears
in different yoga formats likevinyasa and restorative.
So let's do the same with kneepain.
(04:24):
First.
In Vinyasa style classes,transitions are often the
biggest issue.
Stepping forward from downwardfacing dog into a lunge can be
tricky If the student's kneedoesn't track well or if their
hip and ankle aren'tcooperating, or if a student is
thrusting the movement asopposed to controlling it.
(04:47):
Repetitive warrior poses canalso place strain on the knee if
the stance is too wide or ifstudents feel pressured to go
deeper than what feelssupportive for their individual
bodies.
It's an excellent practice as ayoga teacher to normalize.
Shorter stances, emphasizestability over depth and remind
(05:10):
students that their knee doesn'thave to stack in some perfect
way or alignment to be safe.
If you're teaching poses likeLotus, which requires hip
flexion and external rotationand knee flexion and some
rotation, I'm sure you realizehow challenging this.
Is for students.
(05:31):
Hip external rotation is hardenough, but think about teaching
knee rotation to students whohave never consciously performed
that movement, have limitedrange, or who are experiencing
any number of knee injuries.
I'll be honest, Lotus Pose isnot one that I still teach these
(05:53):
days, and I take a good look atthe mechanics needed in other
poses and recognize when theyaren't appropriate for group
class settings.
Now let's look at Iyengar styleclasses.
Here we know the focus is onalignment, and that can be a
double-edged sword.
On one hand, the props and theattention to detail are
(06:15):
wonderful for giving studentsupport and ways to access
poses.
On the other hand, the rigidrules like insisting that the
front shin be perpendicular inWarrior two can make students
feel like they're failing iftheir knees don't cooperate, and
these strict.
Alignment based classes, the wayyou use your language is key.
(06:38):
Instead of dictating what theknee must do, you can invite
exploration.
You could say, notice how yourknee feels in this stance.
Could shifting your footposition or adjusting your
stance Make your knee feel morestable.
This kind of language reducesfear and gives students agency
(06:59):
and is especially important inthese types of rigid alignment
focused classes.
If you're a yin teacher, youknow the knees are particularly
vulnerable, long holds, imposeslike saddle.
Dragon or even butterfly cancreate strain on ligaments or
(07:20):
compressive force on themeniscus.
As a yin teacher, you canemphasize that discomfort in the
knees is not the goal and shouldnot be tolerated.
Encourage your students to usebolsters under their thighs,
blankets behind their knees, orto swap out poses entirely.
(07:40):
Yen is not about chasingsensation in the joint, but
about accessing stillness in away that the body can sustain
for longer periods of time.
Finally, in restorative yoga,knee pain often arises when
joints aren't supported.
A simple supine position withthe legs extended may feel
(08:01):
uncomfortable if the student hasknees that tend to hyperextend,
Providing a rolled blanket undertheir knees can help to ease
strain, similarly in legs, upthe wall, bending the knees
slightly with.
Bolster can make the pose moreaccessible for those with knee
sensitivity.
Restorative practices areparticularly supportive because
(08:25):
they allow the nervous system todownregulate.
However, if a student is in painor discomfort, it's difficult
for their nervous systems toshift to a more regulated state
because they don't inherentlyfeel safe.
students who experience painalso tend to carry anxiety about
(08:45):
movement and restorative yogacan be helpful in reminding them
and their nervous system thatrest and safety are possible.
But we have to work to help themfind safety in our classes.
Now, beyond the class formats,it's also important for me to
highlight the nervous system'srole in knee pain.
(09:06):
Pain isn't always a directmeasure of tissue damage.
Sometimes a knee can look fineon an MRI and still.
Feel painful in practice.
This is where your role as ateacher goes beyond
biomechanics, offering studentschoice, reminding them that it's
okay to step back or modify.
(09:27):
And creating an environmentwhere their nervous system feels
safe can reduce the intensity ofpain and help them reconnect
with movement in a positive way.
One of the biggest fears I'vefound that yoga teachers have
is.
What if I have multiple studentswith knee issues in one class?
(09:48):
This is where adopting aflexible mindset matters.
Instead of thinking, I need tocreate a completely separate
sequence for each of them, youcould think, how can I make this
class accessible for multiplebodies?
That might mean offering astanding option in place of
kneeling, providing chairs orwalls for balance, or allowing
(10:12):
students to either opt out orreduce the range of certain
transitions.
It won't make your class lesseffective.
It will actually make it moreinclusive, but you have to be
willing to shift your thinkingon pain injuries and the nervous
system.
Your students don't expect youto heal their injuries.
(10:32):
What they need is a teacher whois calm, confident, and flexible
in their approach to teaching.
It's your sequencing choices,your language, and the way you
set the tone in class thatcontribute to whether students
with knee pain will feelexcluded, or empowered.
(10:53):
In the next part of this serieswill move on to the shoulders,
which often carry the burden ofboth mobility and stability
issues.
In yoga.
I'll talk about how shoulderpain shows up in different
formats, just like we've done inthis episode and the last, and
how to approach load bearingposes, like downward facing dog
and Chaturanga, and how nervoussystem regulation ties into the
(11:17):
experience of shoulder pain fornow.
Take what we've discussed aboutthe knees and think about how
you'll apply it in your classesthis week.
Encourage your students toexplore their own ranges,
normalize variation, and aboveall, remind them that yoga is
about meeting themselves wherethey are not about fitting into
(11:41):
a rigid mold or looking likeevery other student beside them.
Understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Ana have on the body helpsyou help your students.
If you've been enjoying theseepisodes, I know that you're a
yoga teacher who's ready toteach with more intention and
less fear around injuries.
(12:02):
Now let's continue to raise thebar for how yoga supports real
bodies in real.
Life.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes, sizes, alignment, and
abilities come to your classesand you can serve all of them.
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
(12:25):
It's important to understandmovement and the issues students
come to your classes with.
Subscribe to the podcast soyou're always in the know when a
new episode drops.
And share it with another yogateacher who you think would love
to be in on these conversations.
And finally, thank you forhelping to spread the word about
this podcast.
(12:46):
Alright, thank you forlistening.
That's it for now.
Bye.
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