What do I do with my knees in semi-supine?

Here's the quick answer:–

1. Lie with your knees up. Don't lie with your legs stretched out.
2. Draw them up before you lie down. Don't move them afterwards.
3. Don't let your knees fall out. Keep them parallel to each other.
4. Don't let your feet slip.

Does it hurt when you're lying down?
Make sure you read the second point.

Let's look at each point in turn:–

1. Lie with your knees up

In semi-supine you need to have your knees up.
Why?

• When you do, your back is able to lengthen, widen and flatten.
• If you don't, your back arches off the floor and pulls your head and shoulders down towards your legs.

Try letting your feet stretch out just as an experiment. Notice how, after drawing your feet up again, your lower back drops down to the floor and your head and shoulders inch backwards, further from your hips.

2. Bring your knees up before you lie down

When sitting on the floor in preparation for lying down, pull your knees as close to your bottom as you can get them. That way, when lying down, your knees are up and your feet are flat on the floor.

If you can't get your feet close enough so that the whole foot is flat on the floor, you will need to pull them up closer while you're down.

It's better to avoid moving anything unnecessarily while lying down as it disturbs your back. However, not having your feet flat would make it impossible for your muscles to ease out, so move them.

If you have to move them, do it this way:–

1. Move only one foot at a time.
2. Don't lift the foot. Instead, drag it gently toward you.

That way, you'll minimise the disturbance to your back.

Some people find pressure builds up in the knee during semi-supine.
If so, it's fine to “crack” the knee to reduce the pressure.

What you need to avoid is making small movements to ease any discomfort. If it's a real pain and not just a minor discomfort here's what you need to do.

Dealing with pain or discomfort

Any pain or discomfort that builds up anywhere as you're lying down is part of everything falling into place. The first thing to do is just wait. If you wait for just a minute, often the problem will start to ease by itself. If it doesn't, roll over.

Get back into the sitting position and lie yourself down again. You should find it's more comfortable the second time. Very occasionally, you may need to roll over and lie down a third time.

Any problems, write and ask me about them.

3. Don't let your knees fall out

Don't allow your knees to fall outwards. If they do, they'll pull your back up as they flop out.

If your knees flop out, first make sure your feet are flat on the floor. If your feet still aren't flat (despite point two, above) you may need to place them a little further apart from each other.

If your feet are flat, you need to use your thigh muscles to hold your legs so that your knees don't fall out.

Many people have this tendency for their knees to flop out. It's a symptom of the way they habitually tighten and shorten their lower back and buttocks.

Surprisingly, holding your knees like this actually makes you less tense than letting your legs flop out.

4. Don't let your feet slip

If your feet slip, you need some kind of non-slip mat to put your feet on.

If the floor isn't gripping your feet enough to keep them still, you will have to use your legs and back. This will make you stiffen. The small of your back will come up off the floor.

So use a mat if you need to.

That's it for today.

Is your back tired or hurting? Go and lie down straight away. It needs the rest.

Is your back feeling fine? Then lie down for a minute anyway. You'll be surprised at what you learn by doing it.

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