But the picture is broader and deeper. The knee has Fire Log Pose Yoga its own internal shock absorbers, the medial and lateral menisci: a thick figure-of Fire Log Pose Yoga -eight-shaped cartilage that sits on top of the flat joint surface of the tibia, and cradles the elliptical hemispheres of the femur. This too can be worn down and injured. Generally the medial meniscus is affected before and more seriously than the lateral one. How do we resist or at least minimize this wearing down?
As you will recall from Chapter 3, joint health is primarily maintained by the circulation of the joint fluid, an excellent viscous lubricant that provides the oxygen and proteins needed for joint repair, and carries away the waste products of metabolism.
Yoga, by moving the joint to the extremes of motion but not farther, helps this process considerably. Because the knee is so much affected by movements in its neighboring joints especially the hip, sacroiliac, lumbar spine, and ankle the yoga we offer for those areas can protect the knee a great deal. Flexibility in the hips means less demand on the knees.
