How to avoid the Bowed-Leg Menace in your Sun Salute

Bob has just returned from enjoying his first long ride in months. As he dismounts and pats his horse, he realise that his legs fell stiff and strange. It feels as though his knees are bowed outwards with a large gap between them, just like a caricature of a cowboy in an old Western.

Fortunately Bob’s legs soon feel normal again which is a relief. He knows that bowed legs can put joints and muscles under strain which brings a risk of injury.

The next day Bob is doing a Sun Salute during his yoga class when he realizes that his bowed legs have returned. When he jumps forward from Downward Facing Dog and brings his feet to the floor between his hands there is a big gap between his knees. His teacher calls this the Bowed-Leg Menace. It shows up more than once during the Sun Salutes.

What is a Sun Salute

A Sun Salute is a series of 9 yoga poses that are done one after the other to the breath. You breathe in and do one yoga pose and then you breathe out and do the next yoga pose. The Sun Salutes are used as a warm up sequence at the beginning of your yoga practice.

When you do a Sun Salute you increase your heart rate which results in an increase in your blood circulation and energy levels. You also calm your nervous system and you work on increasing your range of motion. The Sun Salutes help to establish the pace of your yoga practice and warm your muscles which will protect them from injury.

How to do a Sun Salute

The Sun Salutes are an alternating series of forward bends and back bends that you do to the breath.

Briefly you start in Tadasana, standing tall with your toes touching and arms by your side. Inhaling you bring your arms up over your head and look to your hands.

Next exhaling, you bend forward and bring your hands to the floor beside your feet lowering your head and looking through your legs.

Then you inhale and lift your torso, leaving your hands on the floor and look down your nose.

Now you exhale jump or leap back and lower your body to the floor in a plank pose.

From here you inhale and lift your head and shoulders into upward facing dog.

Now you exhale and lift your hips into downward facing dog and gaze towards your navel. You hold here for five complete breaths.

Next you inhale, and jump your feet forward between your hands lifting your torso.

Then you exhale and lower your torso towards your legs and look between your shins.

Finally you inhale, lift your torso up to vertical, bring your arms up over your head and gaze to your hands.

You finish the Sun Salute by exhaling and returning your arms to your sides.

A Sun Salute is a straight forward sequence of postures, but the bowed leg menace can show up if you are not careful.

When does the Bowed-Leg Menace appear

The bowed leg menace can appear at two different times during a Sun Salute. The first time it shows up is when you are preparing to jump back and lower down to plank and the other time is when you are jumping forward from Downward Facing Dog.

When you are jumping back to plank pose you lower your hips and bend your knees out to the side away from each other and then you jump your legs back and lower down.

When jumping forward from Downward Facing Dog you land with your feet between your hands with your legs bent. It is at this point that your knees are bent out to the side.

Bending your knees in both of these cases is necessary but there is a good way and a bad way to do this.

What is the problem with the Bowed-Leg Menace

When you have a large space between your knees in the bowed leg menace then you are putting an unequal stress on the inside and outside ligaments of your knee joints.

The knee joint is designed for folding backwards and forward it does not work all that well when you try to bend it to the side. In fact the knee joint is very unstable and weak when you move it from side to side.

Repeatedly bending the knees out to the side will eventually result your knee joints being hurt. You can avoid this injury by doing one very simple thing.

How to avoid this problem

When you bend your knees in preparation for jumping back into plank or when you bend your knees when you finish jumping forward from Downward Facing Dog keep your knees as close to each other as you possibly can.

When you prepare to jump back into plank, keep your feet pointing forward, keep your knees close to each other as you lower your hips.

When you jumping forward from Downward Facing Dog land with your feet together, your toes touching and your knees bent and close to each other.

Focus on your knees in these two movements and keep them as close together as possible and you will avoid the bowed leg menace and protect your knees from injury.

Summary

Bob is learning to leave the Bowed-Leg mMnace at the ranch and keep his knees safe when he does a Sun Salute.

Next Step

The next time you do a Sun Salute ask your teacher to check your legs to make sure that you are avoiding the Bowed-Leg Menace.

Additional reading

For more about the Sun Salutes read How to do a Sun Salute

To learn how to protect your wrists read How to get your hands in the right place for a Sun Salute

To find out how to protect your lower back read How the suspension bridge method protects your lower back in upward facing dog