Last Updated on March 28, 2025 by Dr. Mansi Srivastava
Knee pain is a common issue experienced by people of all ages. You might suffer from swelling and inflammation due to torn or ruptured cartilage or infections in the gout. Self-care techniques during this time help to tackle the swollen knee. Physical therapy and knee braces also bring some relief.
Yoga is another alternative way to counteract arthritis in the joints and knees. Compared to aerobic and regular exercises like skipping, jumping, and swimming, several knee pain yoga poses also help in providing relief.
Improvement might not be seen instantly. It may take time, but it will heal the problem at the root level. In this blog, we will talk about some simple yoga asanas for knee and joint-related problems.
Best Yoga Asanas for Knee and Joint Pain
A study(1) was done to analyse the effectiveness of Yoga therapy in reducing pain and functional disability, and it shows that it improved strength, balance and gait when used as an adjunct in the management of rheumatoid arthritis, hand and knees. Here are some of the yoga poses that can help with your knee and joint pain.
1. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
As the name suggests, it is practiced in a posture of sitting in a chair. You can do it without using a chair. It helps strengthen the muscles, thighs, and connective tissues.
This posture will not only release you from nagging knee pain but will also improve the flexibility of the spine.
Method of Practicing Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
- In a standing position, make yourself comfortable by keeping your legs partially distant from one another.
- Bend your knees in such a way that you are sitting in a chair.
- Maintain your hips at a 60-degree angle.
- And keep your palms together.
- Practice breathing 5 to 10 times a day.
| Image | Ayurvedic Joint & Knee Pain Oil |
|---|---|
 |
Order Now |
2. Garland Pose (Malasana)
This specific position is called the malasana in Hindi or Sanskrit, and it corresponds to how you sit on an Indian toilet while passing stool. It might show the composition of a garland when seated in this manner. It is one of the widely practiced yoga poses for joint pain arising from an imbalance of Vata dosha in the body.
This yoga posture is considered one of the best home remedies for joint pain. By practicing this posture, you will get relief from your arthritis pain and help in gaining easy movements.
Steps of Practicing Garland Pose
- Make yourself comfortable by allowing yourself to get into a squat position.
- Keep your feet at a certain distance from one another.
- You must not let your hips touch the ground in the seated position.
- Keep your palms close to one another in a namaste posture.
This specific posture will not only strengthen the joint structure of your body but also make your heels, ankles and entire feet stronger.
3. Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana)
You are going to be spreading your arms apart, putting your face to one side, and opening your legs wide apart. You will be bending one of the knees. It will help reduce the stiffness and enhance the mobility of your body.
Steps of Performing the Warrior Posture
- Stand and spread your legs apart.
- Keep your arms sideways, up and straight.
- Bend one of your feet towards the side.
- Try to maintain this position for 5 to 10 minutes.
By being in this posture for a certain amount of time, you will be improving the mobility of your knees. Thus, the Warrior pose is an effective yoga asana for knee pain relief and flexible and stronger joints.
4. Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
By extending your hands sideways and then leaning to a side, you can gain control over your consistent knee pain. You can act in the way of bending closer at a 90-degree angle to combat the problems of stiffness and inflammation in your knees. With regular practice of this type of yoga, you will witness recovery from pain in other joints.
There is a need to be cautious about performing this particular yoga. Leaning sideways may not be comfortable for many people who are suffering from intense knee pain.
How to Do the Extended Side Angle?
- From the position of virabhadrasana, lean the upper part of your body sideways.
- Touching the ground with one hand and raising the other hand to the ceiling.
- Bending sideways.
5. Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
This yoga pose helps with joint pain relief by improving the circulation of blood in the knee, increasing flexibility and helping you to move with ease.
How to Perform the Posture?
- You will be keeping your legs wide open and
- Bend backward to such an extent that you make the shape of the moon.
It is an easy posture that would not take much effort unless you have back pain. Try initially with low intensity if you are suffering from lower back pain.
6. High Lunge Pose
You will stand in a posture of opening up your arms after moving forward one leg and keeping the other leg behind. This posture is quite similar to Virabhadrasana. It helps in improving the spinal cord movement along with enhancing flexibility in the feet and legs.
How to Do a High Lunge Posture?
- First, stand with legs apart.
- Move one of your legs ahead and bend it a little
- Keeping another leg behind.
- Opening up your arms.
This is another yoga for knee pain that will maintain your body in a table condition and enable you to gain strength in all your joints.
7. Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana)
By keeping your legs widened apart and maintaining in partially seated position, you can gain strength in your knees, spine and shoulder joints. Initially, it may pose a challenge for many beginners who may find difficulty in raising heels.
How to Do the Goddess Pose?
- Keep your two feet at a distance from one another and make an angular pose of 90 degrees.
- Allow your body to maintain a posture of sitting on the chair.
- Raise your heels at an angle of 45 degrees.
- Keep your palms close to each other in a folded way.
- Breathe in and out and continue for the next 10 minutes.
8. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
This posture might seem a little bit complex for many people who are suffering from a severe arthritis condition. Better to take guidance from your doctor to practice this complex yoga. Otherwise , this yoga is extremely beneficial for people who undergoing any kind of physical pain in the joints or other parts of the body.
How to Do the Bridge Pose?
- Lie down straight.
- Keep your hands sideways.
- Bending the legs.
- Raising the lower part of the body
- Hold your breath and release it several times a day.
9. Reverse Tabletop (Ardha Purvottanasana)
It is about positioning your body like a table by keeping your back towards the floor. You must allow your chest and shoulders to open up while you face the wall. This may be again a difficult posture, but it might give long-lasting relief from knee pain. To reach out to the level of perfection, you must have an immense power in the muscles of the buttocks and thighs.
How to Do the Reverse Tabletop Posture?
- Keep your knees bent and hands on the ground.
- Maintain the support with your entire body structure like a table by keeping your front part of your body towards the wall.
- By keeping your hands and feet on the floor, you can maintain your hips at an equal level with your knees.
- You must allow the back portion of your head to point towards the floor.
Be cautious while doing this yoga pose for knee pain; you can take advice from the trainer or doctor if your pain is so severe.
10. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
This posture can be easily done by anyone to gain control over pain in the knees and in other parts of the body. It is similar to the child taking the first step to crawling on the floor.
How to Do the Child’s Pose?
- Fold your knees and raise your heels on the mat.
- Bend the upper part of the body.
- Make sure to let your forehead touch the floor.
- Keep yourself in this position for at least 5 minutes.
By practicing any of the postures daily, you can keep your joints in appropriate alignment. It will enhance your flexibility and maintain your balance over your body and relax your mind. Any yoga of beginners and intermediate levels would strengthen your bones and boost your immunity levels.
Conclusion
Knee problems bring with them swelling, inflammation, and infections at any age. Self-care techniques like physical therapy and knee braces can help give relief from such pain. Yoga can help counteract arthritis by raising body comfort levels and reducing stress. Simple yoga asanas like the chair pose and the garland pose can help alleviate knee pain and improve spinal flexibility.
Constipation or Vata dosha can cause knee pain. Practice the Garland pose, the warrior pose, and the extended side angle to strengthen joints and improve mobility. Other yoga poses for knee and joint pain include extended side angle, half moon, high lunge, and goddess poses. The Angular pose, the Bridge pose, and the Reverse Tabletop pose can also help alleviate knee pain. However, these asanas should be done cautiously and under the supervision of a trainer or doctor.
Study source
Haslock I. Measuring the effect of yoga in rheumatoid arthritis. Br J Rheumatol. 1994;33(7):787-788. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/33.7.787.- https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1571980075481482752
