Practice 8:

Janu Chakra (knee crank)

Sit in the base position.

Bend the right leg at the knee as described in practice 6.

Place the hands under the right thigh and interlock the fingers or cross the arms holding the elbows.

Raise the right foot from the ground.

Rotate the lower leg from the knee in a large circular movement; try to straighten the leg at the top of the
upward movement.

The upper leg and trunk should be completely still.

Rotate 10 times clockwise and then 10 times anti-clockwise.

Repeat with the left leg.

Breathing: Inhale on the upward movement.

Exhale on the downward movement.

Awareness: On the breath, mental counting, movement and perfection of circular rotation.

Benefits:

Since the knee joint bears the whole weight of the body and has no strong muscles for support, it is most
vulnerable to injuries, sprains and osteoarthritis. All the knee asanas strengthen the quadriceps muscle and the ligaments around the knee joint. These asanas rejuvenate the joint by activating the healing energies.