When you have a knee that is banged up, it affects every aspect of your health, the physical as well as the psychological.

Even if you don’t realize it, you naturally begin to avoid doing the things you enjoy, mostly out of fear of making the situation worse.

You walk less, you don’t dare run, and you avoid doing the foundational exercise that your knees need the most.

And that would be a deep Farmer’s squat (or Asian squat).

All throughout the non-western world, people can sit in this squat for what we think of as “days.”

Over the years, in many of my YouTube videos, I have remained in this squat for 10 minutes or more, speaking freely without a worry in the world.

People were amazed that I could do this, and that was when I was in my 50’s.

And then one day it hit me. These people cannot even sit in this squat for one minute; many cannot get into the position at all.

Many times I have been in a grocery store or bookstore, sitting in this position to look at something on a lower shelf, and someone will come up to me and ask if I am alright. Thank goodness I wasn’t asked if I needed help getting back to my feet.

The way out of this knee pain mess is not to be less active.

Then again, neither is getting so excited from what you’ve read here, that you go for a long run.

The solution is to begin holding various positions and postures, which I call Power Postures, and slowly work your way into the traditional farmer’s squat.

Once you’re able to get into the farmer’s squat posture, you gradually start adding time.

At first, you may only be able to hold for 15 seconds.

Great.

Now work toward 30 seconds, then a minute. Repeat this exercise over and over throughout the day, increasing blood flow and synovial fluid in the joints.

Over time, when you’re able to sit in this posture for 10, then 20, then 30-straight minutes, you’ll be able to move in ways that you haven’t attempted in years.

All movement springs and hinges on being able to sit quietly in a deep, Zen-like squat.

If the above seems scary, if not impossible, the refreshing news is that I start you out slowly, loosening up your joints in a circular manner, before we progress to the leg strengthening postures that lead you to being able to sit comfortably at any level.

It’s all in my Power Postures course, which I recommend daily to all those who are limping and gimping around.

Matt Furey