The hero pose in yoga, also referred to as Virasana, is an age-old yoga form which has been practiced for a very long time.
This particular yoga pose is a seated pose which is a really great stretch for the quadriceps and in this article we will outline exactly how to do this pose and the benefits that this pose can have on your body and your mind.
What Is The Hero Pose?
This pose is a conductive pose, as it requires you to keep your shoulders over your hips and this really helps you to align the spine.
This is important because it will help align your spine so that while you are sitting, your back will not ache. In fact, this pose can actually be a lot more comfortable for people than sitting cross-legged especially if you decide to place a yoga block under your butt.
For stiff bodies, the hero pose can be nothing less than a challenge. But, over time you will be able to perform the hero pose as part of your yoga routine.
It is key to remember that when it comes to yoga practice makes perfect, and it might take you some time to get the form of this pose completely correct.
Who Can Practice The Hero Pose?
The hero pose can actually be practiced by anyone and it does not matter whether you are a beginner when it comes to yoga, or whether you are a fair way through your yoga journey.
Even if you are pregnant you can practice this yoga pose and you will find that you really benefit from this yoga pose.
This yoga pose has no limitations when it comes to the age range of individuals who can practice it. If you are in the more senior age group and you are suffering from arthritis, muscles pain or even soreness.
This pose can also be practiced by younger people within their daily meditation routines just to help increase the flexibility of thighs, the groin area and also ankles.
This yoga pose is actually really suitable for anyone who has delicateness or tenderness within their knees.
This pose is significantly easier for individuals who sit in this pose for the entirety of their life, even when they are watching television, but for the majority of us this pose can be very challenging.
How To Do Hero Pose Yoga
To do this yoga pose, just follow these steps and make sure that you are sensible when it comes to practicing this pose.
You need to do this pose at your own pace and with ease, do not push yourself too hard too soon, because this can end up causing you muscle strain and this will end up putting you off doing this yoga pose.
- Kneel on the floor and keep your thighs perpendicular to the floor – you need to make sure that your upper torso is parallel to the floor, and as well as this, you need to make sure that you place both of your palms face down on the floor. You also need to make sure that you keep your arms straight downwards.
- Keep your knees together and also try opening up your shins – while you are doing this you need to keep your feet apart as much as possible.
- At this point, you should walk your palms back and bring your hips down – as we said earlier, when you do this you should ensure that you are completely comfortable the entire time, and you should not push your body too far beyond its limits.
- Place your buttocks evenly between the heels of your feet – you need to ensure that both the bones need to be relaxed on the ground in an even manner.
You might find that your hips do not come entirely down, and if this is the case do not force your body.
This is something that will come over time. - If there feels like there is too much pressure on the distal part of the feet, then use your palms to press down for even weight distribution – to do this you need to apply pressure in a gentle way that relaxes your feet on the floor.
- Keep your body nice and straight and then take a few deep breaths – you must ensure that you keep your spine vertical and try to stay in this posture for approximately a minute. Then release.
- Now, you can bring both of your legs in front of you and then extend them freely – once you have done this you can sit in any desired position, and if you are a beginner this will not be as easy as you think. Do not force your body beyond its realm of what is comfortable.
What Are The Benefits Of Hero Pose Yoga?
As a yoga pose, the hero pose has a lot of benefits physically. This is a surprisingly physically demanding yoga pose, but once you are well-practiced in it then it can really help you to stretch out your quads and also your ankles.
Generally speaking, this yoga pose will help you to build flexibility in your knees, in your ankles and also in your thighs.
If you are a fan of cycling or other quad-intensive activities then this stretch will be very welcome.
Additionally, we mentioned the spinal alignment of this pose before and what this means is that this pose will really help you to improve your posture.
As well as improving your posture, this yoga pose will really help your breathing too.
You must make sure that when it comes to doing the hero pose that you do not go into this pose quickly.
You need to do this slowly just so that you can really feel that difference between a big quad stretch, or genuine knee joint pain.
Hero pose yoga is the perfect way to improve your flexibility in your lower body joints, and, although it is not one of the easier yoga poses with practice and giving your body time to build up flexibility you will be an expert at doing this yoga pose.
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