When I practice Warrior 2, I end up with icky knee pain in the evening. And it only happens on one side - my left knee - and seems to be linked to right side Warrior 2 (right leg forward, left leg back). No noticeable discomfort while I’m practicing, so I’m not sure how I’m misaligned.
How can I go about isolating the “correct” alignment (for my body) of the back knee? It almost feels like I need to turn my back toe in, toward the front of the mat, to lessen the openness of the back hip and therefore the tension/torque on the knee?
I have had an on-and-off home practice for the better part of 15+ years, so I don’t have a local teacher I can ask.
Oh Knees! They are a part of the body you don’t want to argue with because they always win! This is something you will want to solve based on what feels right and does not irritate the knee any further. The toes can turn slightly forward if that helps to ease the discomfort, you can also try adding more pressure to the outer edge of the foot so the inner knee is not being over taxed.
I have played with alignment in my last few practices. After careful consideration, I think I am trying too hard to square my hips to the front of my mat, as well as keep the crests of pelvis perfectly horizontal.
For whatever reason (I suspect this is unresolved/unresolvable childbirth injury?), my body needs to allow the left hip to rise a bit - not dumping forward, but maintaining a gentle lower back curve, in contrast to the “tuck your tailbone under” cue. This position also brings the left hip forward, thereby turning in the back foot. And, presto magico, the tension that I hadn’t even noticed in the back knee disappears.
So, with this awareness, I see it is a question of pelvic alignment, not knee alignment.
