Important Notice:

I have stopped publishing articles here and moved to a new site Clarke Scott's website

Clarke Scott is a fully ordained Buddhist monk trained in the Tibetan tradition. A student of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Clarke has received personal instructions—direct one-to-one instructions—on Madhyamaka philosophy and meditation from His Holiness. Recently Clarke moved to Tasmania to pursue a Ph.D in Buddhist philosophy from the University of Tasmania.

Do You Get Sore Knees From Meditation?

I think almost everyone has felt the pain of meditators knee! It can be a terrible pain and also a big hindrance to your meditation. Meditators knee, like tennis elbow is a recurring injury that for many manifests during retreats.

Recently I was reminded of this trick when during a group retreat a friend of mine spoke of having sore knees. This friend has been meditating for more than 20 years, and yet has simply suffered in silence, thinking that this was normal. Given that for many people engage in retreat only every 12 months or so, I can understand how it might take 20 years to finally ask for help.

When I first tried this trick I was very surprised just how effective it is! I was amazed that my pain was almost gone over night!

What it is! I hear you crying. A hot water bottle placed over the knees during breaks between sessions! It is that simple! :)

You don’t need to do it each break, maybe you can just place the hot water bottle on your knees at night. Perhaps you need a couple of hot water bottle sessions a day. You be the judge!

The pain is caused by the strain placed on the ligaments in your knees from hours of being stretched into an unfamiliar position. The heat from the hot water bottle helps them to relax. If you suffer from hip problems or back pain try the same method and see what happens.

Either way, your knees will love you for it.

Comments