Virasana, My Hero
In yoga, virasana (hero pose) is a seated posture in which the knees are as close to touching as possible and the hips are seated just inside the feet. The tops of the feet and all ten toes are touching the floor, and the hands rest somewhere in the lap or on the thighs. In a plain old virasana, you sit up tall, reaching the crown of the head toward the ceiling. It looks something like this...
Today, I want to talk about why virasana is freaking awesome. I've recently found myself automatically going to it for meditation, pranayama (unrestraining of the breath), and even in place of balasana (child's pose) for rest. At first, I didn't think I was doing this for any specific reason. I just thought it was a nice change, and maybe sitting upright would be good for my circulation. Then, one day I was on my mat in a life-changing vinyasa class that had me in so many challenging poses, warrior II, half moon, chapasana, utthita hasta padangusthasana, warrior III, twisting crescent lunge, vashistasana, almost every pose you can think of that engages the psoas major, quadriceps, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, all the glute muscles (super fun), abductors, adductors, essentially all of the major muscles from the waist down to the knee. Needless to say, my body was taxed. It was time for a child's pose, so I lowered my knees down, once again finding myself automatically sitting back into virasana.
The sense of relief my body felt was pure bliss. This was the moment I realized there had to be something more going on that was giving me this release I've never felt in child's pose. It's a great pose, don't get me wrong. We get to stretch the quads, the arches of the feet, the lumbar spine, the abdominals release, the neck releases, all great benefits. But here's why I think virasana can be better than balasana for resting purposes. It is so common for a vinyasa class to include things like external rotation, active internal rotation, hip squaring, twisting, and so forth. During these movements, the muscles of the body from the waist to the knee are working all the time because they control a lot of mobility and connect to many other body parts. Virasana is a unique pose because it has the potential to release this work in ways balasana cannot.
Now, while both poses give a quadricep stretch, virasana is different. In child's pose, I'm still slightly engaging my psoas and lumbar spine by stretching forward. In fact, every time my psoas muscles are engaged, they keep me from releasing the tension in my low back. (I'm working on it.) Virasana targets a quadricep stretch while simultaneously releasing the psoas major muscles. This paired with a slight internal rotation of the femur allows space in the lumbar spine for the sacrum to fully drop. In this position, I can't hold on to any back tension because the space created there plus gravity just take over. In child's pose, my center is still being held, but in hero's pose, I can sit there and fully release my psoas, and therefore, my spine, sacrum, pelvis, hips and thighs as well. In a vinyasa sequence, there's lots of movement and lengthening in many directions. Following that with virasana allows everything to naturally adjust back into place after having made that extra space. It's like shaking up a snow globe (if only you could stretch a snow globe) and then putting it on the counter upright and allowing everything inside to float back into place. Doesn't that sound nice?
Another aspect of hero pose that's so beneficial is sitting upright. Not only does this give the shoulders a passive release, but it allows the breath to fully move through the thoracic cavity with nothing blocking it, allowing for deeper, fuller breaths that are just so satisfying. That's why this pose is also great for practicing pranayama. In the real world, most people spend most of their time sitting. Hero pose is a chance to notice the effects of being upside down in downward dog, arm balances, back bends, and so on in a slightly more "normal" way that's relatable to real life orientation (right side up). The physical sensations the body feels from yoga can then be more attainable when in the real world. Plus, there are many other chances to lie down, like in savasana. Furthermore, circulation is helped by resting in a seat because the circulatory system has a moment to reset after all the movement and changes of direction.
In virasana, like in any pose, there are options. Many people prop themselves up on blocks, blankets or a bolster, and doing so makes it accessible. These props individualize the pose by relieving knee, quadricep or ankle issues. This means there are ways of making it feel good for my body if I don't feel the same one day to the next. I can always find a way to make this pose work for me, and then I can sit there and really let it work for me. I'm not even going to talk about supta virasana or adho mukha virasana today, but I will say that these variations are also amazing with loads of benefits, and I highly recommend looking them up.
All this talk of physical release and balance is only the first conversation. What virasana makes me feel physically allows me the space to look inward and further my practices of pranayama and meditation. My body has come to know virasana as a physically peaceful posture, so now it naturally takes me there and supports me into a deeper yoga practice.
So the next time you find yourself in a sweaty, dim-lit class, upside down and wondering how you got there, and then the teacher calls out a child's pose, close your eyes, take virasana and see what happens. I hope you find the same contentment I do.
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