kneel on the floor (use a folded blanket or bolster to wedge between your calves and thighs if necessary), with your thighs perpendicular to the floor, and touch your inner knees together. angle your big toes slightly in toward each other and press the top of each foot evenly on the floor. wedge your thumbs into the backs of your knees and draw the skin and flesh of the calf muscles toward the heels. if your buttocks don’t comfortably rest on the floor, raise them on a block or thick book placed between the feet. allow a thumb’s-width space between the inner heels and the outer hips. turn your thighs inward and press the heads of the thigh bones into the floor with the bases of your palms. firm your shoulder blades against the back ribs and lift the top of your sternum like a proud warrior. lengthen the tailbone into the floor to anchor the back torso.
to come out, press your hands against the floor and lift your buttocks up, slightly higher than the heels. it may feel good to bounce your knees up and down a few times on the floor. firm your shoulder blades against your back, lift the top sternum, and release your chin down onto the chest without straining the back of your neck. then let go of the knees and raise your head back to neutral without losing the lift of the sternum. press the bases of your palms along the outer edges of the feet and gently push the pinky-toe sides of the feet to the floor. a partner can help you learn to lengthen the spine in this pose. have your partner sit behind you and firmly grasp the base of your skull with the thumb and index finger of one hand. clasp your hands, extend your arms forward (perpendicular to your torso and parallel to the floor), turn the palms away from your torso (so the thumbs point to the floor), then raise the arms on an inhalation perpendicular to the floor, with the palms facing the ceiling.
when i was a new student of iyengar yoga, the mystery as to why virasana (hero pose) was requisite eluded me. thanks to the psoas stretch it provides, especially in its reclining variation, virasana can have a positive postural impact, and some people may find it to be a much more sustainable seat for meditation and pranayama than a cross-legged pose. after all, in addition to the psoas, the quadriceps and feet receive a nice stretch when loaded appropriately, and the spine is almost invariably more upright in virasana than in sukhasana (easy pose), which facilitates lumbar strengthening as well. keeping that in mind, i’d like to offer a few more of my favorite ways to adapt virasana for my students and myself.
let’s start by reviewing the traditional version of the pose: to practice virasana, come to a high kneeling position and bring your knees together. for those with big, beautiful, muscular calves, coming into vajrasana for a minute or two with a rolled sticky mat behind the knees may create a bit of space and allow you to then come into virasana more easefully. supta virasanasupta virasana (hero pose in a reclined position) is one of the best “anti-sitting” poses for those who spend a lot of time at a desk, but be kind and mindful: the psoas is a big muscle and it’s not going to be happy if you force it to release. while the assist did alleviate discomfort in my students’ lumbar spines, i feel incredibly fortunate not to have done knee or hip damage with such a stunt, let alone lose my balance and fall on top of the hapless heroes! the moral of the story: take time to warm up, use ample props, and move gradually if you want to befriend rather than be conquered by hero pose.
virasana or hero pose is a kneeling asana in modern yoga as exercise. medieval hatha yoga texts describe a cross-legged meditation asana under the same name. supta virasana is the reclining form of the pose; it provides a stronger stretch. virasana or hero pose is a balm for tired legs at the end of the day, as well as an alternative to lotus for seated meditation. hero pose (virasana) is a seated pose that is a great stretch for the quadriceps. virasana is conducive to keeping your shoulders over your to come into hero pose or virasana, begin in an all fours position on your hands and knees. bring your knees closer together and separate your feet slightly, virasana pose benefits, virasana pose benefits, virasana vs vajrasana, hero pose yoga, supta virasana.
in virasana the knees are close together, the heels are outside the hips, and you sit between the feet (whereas in vajrasana [thunderbolt], you sit on your bend your opposite knee and place that foot flat on the floor, toes pointing forward. ground both sit bones. are they level? extend your tail. press both feet virasana (hero pose), where ‘vira’ = ‘warrior’, ‘hero’, or ‘champion’ in sanskrit. this beautiful unique asana is a seated posture and is considered good, virasana cues, hero pose variations, virasana meaning, reclining hero pose yoga, adho mukha virasana, tree pose yoga, camel pose yoga, hero pose bad for knees, w pose yoga, supported hero’s pose.
When you try to get related information on virasana yoga, you may look for related areas. yoga poses,prep poses for eagle,prone yoga poses virasana pose benefits, virasana vs vajrasana, hero pose yoga, supta virasana, virasana cues, hero pose variations, virasana meaning, reclining hero pose yoga, adho mukha virasana, tree pose yoga, camel pose yoga, hero pose bad for knees, w pose yoga, supported hero’s pose.