Yoga for knee pain and osteoarthritis: safe poses and a weekly plan

Your knee pain and osteoarthritis yoga plan

Mountain PoseTadasana BeginnerStanding Chair PoseUtkatasana BeginnerStanding Warrior II PoseVirabhadrasana II BeginnerStanding Bridge PoseSetu Bandhasana BeginnerSupine Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe PoseSupta Padangusthasana BeginnerSupine Staff PoseDandasana BeginnerSeated Crocodile PoseMakarasana BeginnerProne and kneeling

More poses that help with knee pain and osteoarthritis

Add these once the session above feels easy, or swap one in when a pose does not suit you.

Warrior I PoseVirabhadrasana I BeginnerStanding Tree PoseVrikshasana BeginnerStanding Side-Reclining Leg LiftAnantasana IntermediateSupine Wind-Relieving PosePavanamuktasana BeginnerSupine Locust PoseSalabhasana BeginnerProne and kneeling Corpse PoseSavasana BeginnerSupine

Mudras for knee pain and osteoarthritis

Hold a mudra while you sit for the breathing practice or a few minutes of quiet. Mudras are a traditional practice; research on them is limited.

Strong evidence: Meta-analyses of randomised trials show a benefit.

Yoga for knee pain works best when it is quiet and practical: stand well, strengthen the thighs and hips, keep the joint moving, and skip the poses that crush the knee. Exercise for osteoarthritis knee pain is a core part of care, and yoga is one well-researched way to do it. This page explains how it helps, what studies found, how to do each pose in the plan above, and how to adapt it for bad knees.

How yoga may help painful and sore knees

Your knee sits between two long levers, the thigh and the shin. When the muscles around it are weak, the joint surfaces take more of each step. Yoga for knee strengthening works on that, and more:

• Stronger thigh and hip muscles. Chair pose, Warrior II and Bridge build the quadriceps and buttock muscles that absorb shock and keep the kneecap tracking straight.
• Movement feeds cartilage. Cartilage has no blood supply. Gentle loading and unloading helps move fluid in and out, which is one reason stiff knees feel better after moving.
• Less stiffness. Slow stretches for the hamstrings and calves let the knee straighten more fully.
• Better balance. Standing poses train the small muscles and reflexes that prevent falls, which matters for yoga for knee pain in old age.
• A calmer response to pain. Slow breathing and relaxation can reduce muscle guarding and the worry that makes every step feel risky.

Is yoga good for knee osteoarthritis and knee pain? What the research says

The evidence is rated "strong" for this plan. A 2024 meta-analysis of 8 randomised trials with 756 people with knee osteoarthritis found that yoga reduced pain and stiffness and improved physical function compared with control groups. The same review found less clear evidence for everyday activities and quality of life, and noted that supervised, in-person classes gave better results and adherence than unsupervised online programmes.

That last point is worth taking seriously. A 2022 Australian trial of 212 adults tested a 12-week online yoga programme done alone at home. It improved physical function and stiffness but not knee pain while walking, and the gains faded by 24 weeks. Side effects were minor. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health also says yoga may help pain, function and stiffness in knee osteoarthritis, while noting that the studies are limited in number.

What this means for you: yoga for knee osteoarthritis helps most when you keep it going for months, not weeks. If you can, have a physiotherapist check your form once, then use the guided session here to practise regularly between visits.

Yoga poses for knee pain: why each one is in the plan

These yoga poses for knee pain relief, also called yoga asanas for knee pain, all keep the joint in a comfortable range. They double as gentle yoga exercises for arthritic knees and for general knee problems. Use a thick mat or a folded blanket under any body part that touches the floor; a softer yoga mat can reduce knee pain when you get up and down.

Mountain pose: learn to stand on a sore knee

Mountain pose teaches even weight between both feet, knees soft rather than locked. Many people with knee pain push back into the joint without noticing. Modify: stand with your back near a wall for balance; squeeze a folded towel between your thighs to switch the muscles on.

Chair pose: build the quadriceps

Chair pose is one of the best yoga poses to strengthen knees. Modify: bend only a little, keep your knees behind your toes and pointing over your second toe, and sit your hips back as if onto a chair. Rest your hands on a chair back, or slide down a wall into a shallow wall-sit.

Warrior II: strength and alignment

Warrior II strengthens the front thigh and the outer hip, which stops the knee from collapsing inward. Modify: shorten your stance and bend the front knee only until it is above the ankle, never past it. Hold a chair on the front-knee side if balance is shaky.

Bridge: hips that help the knees

Bridge pose trains the gluteal muscles and hamstrings with very little load on the knee joint. Modify: place your feet a little further from your hips if your knees ache, and press evenly through both heels.

Reclining hand-to-big-toe pose: a supported stretch

Reclining hand-to-big-toe pose stretches the hamstrings and calf while you lie on your back, so the knee is not loaded. Modify: loop a strap or belt around your foot and keep the lifting leg slightly bent.

Staff pose: wake up the thigh

Staff pose is a simple seated position. Gently press the back of your knee down and tighten the front of the thigh for five breaths, then relax; physiotherapists call this a "quad set". Modify: sit on a folded blanket and put a rolled towel under your knees.

Crocodile pose: rest without pressure

Crocodile pose is a relaxing position on your front. Modify: put a thin cushion under your shins or ankles so the kneecaps do not press into the floor.

Breathing practice: Anulom Vilom

End with three to five minutes of Anulom Vilom (alternate nostril breathing) sitting on a chair, feet flat. Slow, even breathing helps you relax after the strengthening work and is easy on painful knees because you do not need to sit cross-legged.

A weekly yoga sequence for knee pain at home

Trials of yoga exercises for knee osteoarthritis usually used about three sessions a week. Pair them with walking and simple home exercises for knee pain. Leave a day between the harder strengthening days.

The pain rule: mild discomfort (up to about 3 out of 10) during the exercise is acceptable if it settles within a day. If your knee is more painful or swollen the next morning, make the next session shorter and shallower.

Yoga modifications for bad knees, seniors and women

Beginners

If you are new, yoga for knee pain for beginners means one round of each pose, the shortest hold setting and a chair nearby. Add the yoga stretches for knee pain, such as the strap hamstring stretch, only after you have warmed up.

Seniors and chair yoga for knee pain

Chair yoga for knee pain for seniors keeps everything safe and simple: sit-to-stand from a firm chair, seated leg straightening, ankle circles and seated Mountain pose. Getting down to the floor is optional. Use a chair or wall for every standing pose.

Women

Knee osteoarthritis is more common in women, especially after menopause. Yoga for knee pain for women follows the same plan; adding regular walking and strength work also supports bone health. If you are pregnant, avoid deep squats and check new knee or pelvic pain with your midwife.

Bone on bone, severe pain or swelling

Even with "bone on bone" arthritis on an X-ray, many people benefit from gentle strengthening. Yoga for severe knee pain should keep the range small and the holds short. If the knee is hot, red or very swollen, rest it and see a doctor before doing yoga for knee pain and swelling.

Knee injury or knee replacement

For yoga after a knee injury, with injured knees or after a knee replacement, follow your surgeon's and physiotherapist's programme first. Yoga for a knee replacement can usually start once you are cleared, avoiding deep kneeling for the long term unless your surgeon says otherwise.

Exercises to avoid for knee pain, and when to see a doctor

• Deep kneeling poses such as Vajrasana and Virasana, full squats and Lotus, until your knee tolerates them.
• Twisting on a bent, weight-bearing knee, and jumping between poses.
• Locking the knee straight in standing poses.
• Pushing through sharp pain, clicking with pain, or a feeling of the knee "giving way".

See a doctor if your knee is hot, red and swollen, especially with fever; if you cannot put weight on it; if it locks or gives way; after an injury with rapid swelling; or if the calf becomes painful and swollen. Keep taking any medicine you have been prescribed.

Knee pain and back pain often go together, and yoga helps both because both respond to how you stand and walk. See our plans for yoga for back pain and yoga for arthritis.

Ghutno ke dard ka ilaj: yoga for knee pain relief in Hindi

Start the guided knee session

When you are ready, start the guided knee pain session at the top of this page. The 3D figure shows each pose from every angle, the voice counts your breaths in 28 languages, and you can choose shorter holds on a sore day.

Research behind this plan

1. Lu 2024, PLOS ONE — meta-analysis of 8 RCTs (756 people): yoga improved pain, stiffness and physical function in knee osteoarthritis
2. Bennell 2022, Annals of Internal Medicine — RCT of an unsupervised 12-week online yoga programme (212 adults): better function and stiffness, not walking pain; not sustained at 24 weeks
3. NCCIH (US National Institutes of Health) — Yoga: What You Need To Know, including knee osteoarthritis

Medical note: yoga supports treatment; it does not replace it. Keep taking prescribed medicine and talk to your doctor before you start, especially with heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, recent surgery, pregnancy, epilepsy or severe pain. Read our medical disclaimer.