03 May Get Low!
Wondering whether you should dip your hips beneath your knees in your squat or deep chair pose? After 20 years of research on knee health and squats at Duke University, the answer is YES!!! Stopping above parallel actually creates a greater shearing forces on your knees than if you go all the way down with your hips next to your heels. {Shearing forces are unaligned forces pushing one part of a body in one direction, and another part of the body in the opposite direction}.
This is why (according to the American Journal of Sports Medicine): When you dip beneath parallel, your hamstrings will counteract the force of your quads, which will take the stress off of the ACLs and actually stabilize the knees.
Make sure that your weight is in your heels, feet hips width apart. You should be able to lift and wriggle your toes. Keep your spine in a natural curve, draw your belly towards your spine. As you rise, squeeze your buttocks. If you have difficulty keeping your heels down as you squat low, try feet wider than hips width apart. It’s also okay if your toes point outwards a bit, but make sure that your knees and big toes point in the same direction.
Next time you do chair pose or deep squat, keep your weight in your heels and GET LOW, baby!
In addition to yoga and meditation instruction, Kelli is a subconscious change facilitator -here to help you release emotional stress and trauma, balance your energetic system, and establish powerful subconscious beliefs that support everything you do. Learn more and book your session at www.rapidtransformationsessions.com
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