Let’s move into Tree Pose. Place your foot on the inside of your opposite leg above or below your knee. AVOID DIRECT CONTACT WITH YOUR KNEE!

For a very long time I was taught to avoid placing my lifted foot on my knee in Tree Pose. Because it was what all my teachers were saying, I would tell my students the same thing. I would clearly give students options on where they could place their foot and specifically tell them where to not place their foot because…. well I didn’t actually know why I was saying it!

The more I dive into this series the more I realize yoga teachers are very concerned about their students’ knees. What’s up with the knees? Why are they so fragile?

Turns out your knees actually aren’t all that fragile. Your knees are actually built to withstand a lot of weight and a fair amount of movement.

Sure, knee injuries are relatively common amongst all humans. People tear various ligaments in their knees for various reasons. Sometimes it’s an athlete who has experienced far too many collisions with other athletes or falls to the ground resulting in an ACL tear. Sometimes it’s a parent who stepped on their kid’s toy, caught themselves in a weird way, and now they’re scheduled for a meniscus repair. Knee injuries happen all the time!

The placement of one’s foot on the inside of their leg is not going to cause harm or damage to one’s knee.

Of course, if you have an existing knee injury, especially around the inside of your knee, you might have good reason to not place direct pressure on the inside of your knee. But is it something EVERYONE has to avoid? Nope.

So, go for it. Get wild! The next time you do Tree Pose, place your foot wherever you want! Just don’t be surprised if a teacher tells you to not do that.