What is the purpose of lifting knee caps in standing poses?
The purpose? Well that is best posed to those reciting the instruction. However, that particular instruction is fairly rote in the Iyengar system (vernacular) and tends to have the purpose of contracting the quadriceps.
In Anusara that translates into “shins in …thighs out” . If you put a block in between your shins and squeeze together as well as one in between your thighs and try to rotate your thighs behind you (the block will move towards the back of your mat here). Does this make sense?
Hope it helped!
By engaging the quads it helps the hamstrings relax.
The muscular system is a pulley system, so you pull one side while the other relaxes.
There is probably an energetic side to it too, but I am not sure, something about opening up the back of the knee opens up a part of the mind.
My student contribution to the post:
Also it erects the entire leg and helps with balancing poses:)
It also helps to distribute the bodyweight evenly on both legs in poses where one tends to prefer one leg over the other (e.g. the front leg in Warrior 2), and it helps to provide a better sense of alignment (says my teacher).
I’m a total beginner (4th week of yoga), and among other classes I’m taking an intro class with an Iyengar teacher. There we’ve been working on very few basic standing poses so far - boy, it’s in incredible how challenging a “simple” mountain can be. :eek:
[QUOTE=Sulpicia;31406] There we’ve been working on very few basic standing poses so far - boy, it’s in incredible how challenging a “simple” mountain can be. :eek:[/QUOTE]
Well, your are making great progress if you saying that!