Knee Guarantee

Protect your knees!  Especially if you have tight hips.  Your future self will thank you!

• Lift the kneecaps while in standing asanas, and in some seated postures; anywhere hyperextension or knee-rolling is possible.  Do this by bending the knee, flexing the quads, and then gently straightening the knee.  You can do this initially without putting weight on it, to get a good idea.  Lying on your back and sighting down your leg, try straightening the leg with the quads minimally engaged, and then flexed.  Yes, your knee might look "fatter," but that's all muscle!
• Say that, in a seated pose with external femur rotation, like baddha konasana or janu sirsasana  Say you can't get your hips square and upright without raising your knee above your pelvis.  Don't just put pressure on the knee with a hand or elbow.  (I did this for years, upon instruction by many fitness professionals!)  Instead, raise your pelvis by sitting on a cushion or block until your femur can move with greater range.  Over time, with muscle action and gravity, the tissue will make room for the movement!
• Self-massage is an awesome way to deal with long term tension that can't be stretched away.  A guide like this and a foam roller could help you realize some real bliss!  (Pro tip:  I've actually used my protein shake container, a Nalgene... even the edge of a mattress and the side of my truck!  Whatever works!)