Tips from your Yoga PT [with YogaSource Palo Alto]

Welcome back! I’m Tiffany, a local physical therapist and yoga instructor. In this series, I share simple movement tips to help you feel stronger, move with confidence, and get the most out of your yoga practice—both on and off the mat.

Tendinopathy, often referred to as tendinitis, is a common source of pain. You may have heard of conditions like Achilles, patellar, or gluteal tendinopathy, as well as golfer’s or tennis elbow.

Anatomically, tendons connect muscle to bone. Muscles are designed to generate force and handle load, while tendons help transmit that force. When a tendon becomes painful, it’s often a sign that it’s being asked to handle more stress than it can comfortably manage.

In many cases, this happens when the muscle isn’t doing its share of the work. Instead of a strong, coordinated muscle contraction, more load is transferred to the tendon leading to irritation over time.

This is where yoga and PT come into play—to build a stronger foundation. Muscle reeducation, proper strengthening, and coordinated movement create a more stable base, so your body can handle stress with greater ease.

So when you feel pain at the tendon, the question becomes: how can we better engage the muscle to support the movement?

Try it out this week:

If you’re experiencing tendon-related pain, try shifting your focus to the center of the muscle instead of the painful area. Bring awareness to gently contracting the muscle belly, rather than guarding or bracing around the tendon.

This can feel unfamiliar at first, especially if the area has been painful for a while. You can use light touch to help: try tapping or holding a soft contraction for 10–30 seconds.

For example, if you’re feeling lateral hip pain near where the tendon attaches, shift your focus to engaging the deeper muscles in the center of your glute. Think of creating a steady, controlled contraction from the middle of the muscle.

Until next time…