ashtanga knee. oh woe.

Oh dear. What can you do with astanga knee? And why do so many ashtanga teachers just assume that you aren't, unless you tell them, in pain or difficulty. They set up a culture in the class that is quite macho or achievement oriented..its not we'll work this out slowly and safely...and I guess its my fault as a student for not stopping or even questionning that ethos but me knee now hurts so much in the ashtanga practice that I have decided to stop the practice.


So I have gone back to Iyenger and Dona Holleman influenced Hatha at home with a lot of sun saulations and vinyasa (the ashtanga influence) inbetween asanas and also chucking in Shiva Rea sequences and Simon Low's Shiva Rea and Shadow influenced Dancing Dragon sequence...which is a great flow sequence. And none of these stress my knees like the ashtanga half found Lotus forwards bend but give me heat and sweat and strength and open-ness...which is what I really really want.

I might drop into ashtanga again but I will insist or at least ask for 'mods' as in modified poses for those knee-killers. And I won't even think about attempting lotus...