Day 1: Basics - Yoga for Complete Beginners | JenYoga 

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Hi Debi, sorry to hear that you have a meniscus tear in your knee - I expect that is painful. Have you seen a physio/medical professional to support you with rehab? I'd advise practising with caution, making sure you're cleared to follow along with these videos and never doing anything that causes you pain. To begin, I'd suggest avoiding any deep knee bends that may aggravate your symptoms. If you are able to kneel comfortably (perhaps adding padding under the knees and shins) an alternative you could use for child's pose, would be from tabletop position, hips stacked over your knees, bending your arms so that your elbows rest on the mat under your shoulders (they could be slightly further forward if thats more comfortable). Bring your forehead towards the ground, or if you need to elevate the ground up a bit, resting it on a block/cushion. This modification will reduce the amount of flexion in the knee joint, so should reduce pain if you are able to weight-bear through your knees, but is likely to lead to a straighter spine than you'd usually have in childs pose. However, it should transition smoothly for most of the sequences I've created that use child's pose. If thats not a suitable alternative, you could alwags roll onto your back and hug your knees towards your chest (perhaps holding on to your hamstrings rather than the shins, to again reduce the bend in your knee), to find the release through the spine. I hope thats clear! Let me know how you get on 😊

Hi Jackie, sorry to hear you find sitting cross legged uncomfortable. My first suggestion would be to sit on a chair instead, with your feet resting on the ground, knees at a 90° bend and a straight spine - then popping the chair to the side, when no longer required. Or perhaps you'd be interested in exploring whether an alternative position on the floor is more comfortable for you - kneeling, with a block underneath the hips (to lift them and take pressure off your knee joints) and padding under the knees and/or between your calves and hamstrings can be a more comfortable option as it reduces torsion of the knee joint, for example. Hope this is helpful for you 🙂