By JACCI GRUNINGER, MS, C-IAYT500, ERYT500
Los Alamos

When we talk about different yoga postures we can discuss them from the perspective of strength, flexibility, balance and skill. When we talk about health we can discuss our mental health, physical health, and emotional health. We can also discuss our muscles, connective tissue, and joints.

As a yoga therapist I work with all types of issues but one issue clients often talk about are their joints.

Clients share that their joints pop, creak, bubble and any number of other descriptors. Our joints are important and keeping them functioning is even more important, especially as we get older.

Often you’ll hear about a healthy range of motion (ROM). This has to do with all the ways your body can move and adapt to different body positions. Our joint health or joint mobility is important when it comes to range of motion. Our joints move in a number of different directions: flexion, extension, rotation, lateral flexion and lateral extension, internal rotation and external rotation.

Joint mobility basically refers to your joints’ range of motion.

For example, you might explore flexion and extension at your knee joint. Bend and straighten your leg from a standing position. Can you straighten all the way? Can you grab your foot behind you (hold onto a wall!)? Or how far can you reach your arm overhead before your shoulder joint says, “that’s enough?”

Often some of our joints have a lot of mobility and others not so much. As we get older we often lose the mobility in our joints. This doesn’t have to happen. Remember, motion is lotion. AND, some motions are better than others.

In Yoga Therapy, we look at what we call Functional Range of Motion. Meaning, can you reach under the kitchen sink to get something out or can you reach up into a cabinet to retrieve a cup or bowl?

Consider the following questions:

• Are there movements or positions that you find your body contracting or tightening?
• Can you fold forward (knees bent), side bend and bend backward?
• Can you back out your car easily?
• What parts of your body keep you from doing these things?

If you find tightness, stiffness or discomfort keeping you from doing your day-to-day tasks or activities you enjoy, your range of motion might be limited.

There are many things that can affect your range of motion but lack of movement, especially the right types of movement can be a big factor.

Here are a few other things that might be getting in the way:

• The shape of your joint, mobility of your joint tissue (capsule, ligaments and tendons;
• The pliability of your muscles, fascia and other connective tissue; and
• Your nervous system and how it communicates with your brain.

Keep a few things in mind when working with your joint mobility

• Don’t push;
• Don’t go to your edge;
• Don’t hold for long periods of time;
• Breathe coming in and out;
• Move slowly in and out; and
• Do repetitive movements.

There’s a great practice called the Joint Freeing Series by Mukunda Stiles that not only is a self assessment but also a good way to juice all your joints. You can find a video of me leading this practice at Joint Freeing Series.

You might also try incorporating the following movements into your day. Think of breathing into a count of 6 and out to a count of 6 as you go through each movement. Repeat each movement 4-8 times.

Cat & Cow

Cat pose. Courtesy photo

Cow pose. Courtesy photo

This combination of postures moves through all the vertebrae from your coccyx at the bottom of the spine to your atlas at the top of the spine.

Start on hands and knees (elbows if your wrists hurt) or seated. Exhale and draw your tailbone toward the floor. Slowly roll your spine toward the ceiling or the back of your chair (like a frightened cat), end with your chin coming in toward your chest. Pause for 1 breath here and then inhale and lift your tailbone and let the rest of the vertebrae move one after another, pulling the ribs forward and opening the front of the throat. Pause for a breath here.

Knee down lunge/Half Split

Knee down lunge. Courtesy photo

Half split pose. Courtesy photo

This combo of postures helps with hip, pelvis, knee and lumbar spine mobility. It will help day-to-day with crouching and lunging.

Start from table pose and bring your right foot forward between your hands (you can be on your fingertips or use blocks or books under your hands). Make sure your knee is over your ankle. Slide your left knee a little farther back until you feel a slight stretch at your left front hip. Exhale and slowly move your hips back toward your left heel (keep your knee as bent as you need to). Pause for 1 breath to feel. Inhale and start to move forward back into the lunge.

Hip Circles

This movement is not only good for your hips, low back and pelvis, it’s also fun. Start from a standing position with the legs wide, knees slightly bent. Place your hands on your hips. Exhale and hinge forward slightly as you send your buttocks slightly behind you. Circle to the right, inhale and circle forward and then to the left. Continue circling in one direction for 6-8 breaths then pause and repeat going the other direction.

Table to Bent-Knee Down Dog

Good for your wrists, shoulders, hips, spine, knees and ankles. Start again in table position (on elbows/forearms if needed). Turn your toes under and press your hips up and back lengthening your arms and spine. Keep the knees very bent. Move your heels, one at a time, up and down a few times. Inhale, lift the heel, exhale and lower. Then inhale and lower back to your knees. Pause for a breath or two and then repeat 4-6 times.

Remember, work at your own pace, rest when you need to. If you have any pain or discomfort, choose a different movement to practice.

You might even consider working with a yoga therapist on Inner Landscape and Somatic movement to increase your range of motion and juice your joints.

About Jacci Gruninger:

Jacci Gruninger is a Certified Yoga Therapist and Thai Yoga Massage Therapist. She has been teaching for more than two decades and spent 12 of those years training yoga teachers for the Pranakriya School of Yoga Healing Arts. She regularly helps clients manage the ups and downs of life with yoga, meditation, breathwork and bodywork. Her Yoga Therapy Center is at 190 Central Park Square #212. For her in person and online teaching schedule and information on her other services, visit her website at www.yogawithjacci.com.