Presented by the Integral Yoga Therapy Clinic

by Dawn Summers

Oh no!  Suddenly my left knee got really wonky when I was going up and down stairs.  I could hardly bend it and put weight on it without pain, so that was a call to action!

Yoga had been a foundation for me since 1985 when I decided to learn more and became an Integral Yoga Teacher, so I decided to see if I could resolve it with the right yoga practice.  I am also trained as a yoga therapist by Gary Kraftsow, founder of the American Viniyoga Institute, so here was an essential and compelling crisis. But it was more than that: it was also an opportunity as well as a necessity to apply my knowledge in practice.  

So, after some svadhyaya (self-examination of my hips, legs and knees) and some study of old notes from my therapy training and other resources, I created a practice.

Fortunately, my knee issue resolved within a month and I learned a lot about biomechanics and tracking lines which involve the hips, legs and feet.  I am quite relieved to move away from this dangerous knee issue and recover full function; especially now so I can happily take my long walks when swimming pools are closed and I have no other alternate source of major exercise besides perambulation. 

Call me a Happy Yogini with Bees Knees!

You, too, can have happier knees from participation in the online workshop for knees on May 30 from 1-3pm. You will explore your own hip/leg/knee relationship with a targeted practice specific to supporting the knees, plus an understanding of why these postures are useful. Yoga teachers can also receive two Yoga Alliance CE hours.

Dawn Summers has been teaching yoga since 1985 and is a certified Yoga Therapist in the Viniyoga tradition. She has also trained yoga teachers and yoga therapists.
Dawn has considerable experience working therapeutically with individual students to develop an appropriate yoga practice. She also has trained yoga and aerobics instructors, and is most grateful to her teachers – Swami Satchidananda (1985 IYI certification) and Swami Asokananda (Advanced IYI Certification); Gary Kraftsow (certified 1992, 2000), T.K.V. Desikachar (1994, Chennai India). She has assisted with training yoga teachers at Yogaville and was Teacher Training Coordinator for American Viniyoga Institute (AVI). She has also been a Senior Faculty training yoga therapists with AVI. She teaches in San Francisco and Pacifica.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]