What can I do to reduce discomfort in kneeling yoga poses?

After class recently, Hannah asked me a really great question about how to make yoga poses where we put weight through our knee more comfortable. I thought as this is something that a lot of people will encounter that I would share my thoughts on the best ways to do this so that you have options should this be an issue for you.

Fold your mat over

If knee discomfort happens unexpectedly during a class then simply folding your mat over under your knee will double the thickness of the mat, giving you a little more protection.

Bring a blanket to class

If you bring a blanket to class, keep it folded up beside you to a thickness that feels comfortable. You can then pop the blanket underneath your knees giving a nice soft supportive cushion to practise on. You also have the added bonus of having a blanket with you to snuggle under for savasana.

Use a soft mini bolster

I really like the soft mini bolster from EcoTex yoga, they are a bit thicker than a blanket so give a nice soft thick supported feel.

Note that your alignment may feel a little different so you may want to adjust the placement of your other leg or limbs depending on what pose you are working with.

Use a mat width knee pad

Usually around 15mm thick these mat pads give that extra cushion across the full width of the mat and can also be used for under the hands if you have sore wrists. With both knees on the mat pad it helps maintain alignment. Available from yoga matters and yoga mad.

Get specialist yoga knee pads

There are specialist yoga knee pads that are filled with gel and shaped to fit your knee anatomy, they are also fairly small and easy to carry. Jean who comes to yoga by the sea in Scarborough and Cayton Bay uses some that are similar to these that she picked up in TK Maxx, and recommends them for the cushioned support. You can find them in both Decathlon and Amazon.

Alternatively you can use a knee pad that you wear, Sally who comes along to vinyasa classes in Scarborough has just invested in these pads that she found on e-bay and recommends.

If any pain persists as always the most important thing is to listen to your body and take a rest pose where needed or change the pose to one that works for you for example if we are in table top you could press up to down dog or if in a low lunge you can lift the back knee off and work in a high lunge.

If you have a preferred method or have other solutions to managing knee discomfort please do let me know in the comments.