Virasana (Hero Pose)

<h2> Virasana. Hero Pose</h2>
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"Vira" means heroic, brave, a hero. This pose resembles a warrior in a seated position. At first glance Virasana seems easy. Even so, during the first years of practice many people find this traditional sitting position hard. Students complain of a burning sensation in the thighs and of pain in the knees and ankles.
Virasana should not be neglected, even if it seems to you that it brings nothing but torment. Although its effect is not felt at once, Hero Pose is very useful. In Virasana we improve the mobility of the knees and ankles and learn to turn the thighs inward. The pose reduces tension in the legs, improves digestion and relieves discomfort in the abdomen. Virasana is also one of the traditional positions for pranayama and meditation. If it is done correctly you can stay in it for several minutes, observing your inner sensations. In other words, this asana develops awareness, which is the cornerstone of the whole of yoga practice.

Virasana in brief

1. Kneel down, keeping the knees together.
2. Take the feet apart and turn them so that the soles face the ceiling. Keep the toes and the feet in a straight line, extending them back.
3. Keep the feet 30-45 cm apart. Lower the buttocks until they rest on the floor, but not on the heels. Take one or two breaths in and out.
4. Keep the buttocks so that they touch the floor. The inner surface of the calves will now lie against the outer surface of the thighs.
5. Turn the palms so that they face down and place them on the knees.
6. Keep the weight of the body on the thighs and lift the waist and the sides of the trunk up.
7. Open the chest, lift the neck and look straight ahead.
8. Breathe normally and stay in this position for one minute, and later for as long as you can. While doing so:
       (1) the body must not lean forward;
       (2) take the groin area and the thighs down;
       (3) do not let the feet splay out to the sides; 
       (4) do not sit on the heels 
       (5) keep the natural curve of the lower back
9. Place the palms on the floor, lift the buttocks and bring the feet together. Now straighten the legs.

Special notes:

(1) In this asana the pressure falls on the knees and the ankle joints, so that it is sometimes hard to bring the buttocks down to the floor. Put a folded blanket under the buttocks so that the body weight is distributed evenly between the knees, the feet and the buttocks. Gradually reduce the thickness of the blanket.
(2) If the feet cannot be turned back, keep them horizontal.
(3) If you find it hard to hold the body upright, press the palms firmly into the knees and press the groins down so that the trunk extends upward from the base of the pelvis.

Virasana in detail

A simplified version of Hero Pose

For this variation of Virasana you will need a blanket and a brick, which will help you avoid strain in the knees. Most beginners need the support. What is more, these props may well not be enough to make the pose safe. Even if you feel no discomfort in the classical version of Virasana, try doing it with props - it is quite possible that you will be able to work better in the pose that way. Then do the asana without support.
Fold the blanket in four and place it in the middle of the mat. Set the brick right against the straight edge of the blanket, across the mat. The blanket will help reduce the pressure on the ankles, and the brick will take the load off the knees.
Kneel in front of the brick so that the shins are on the blanket and the feet are on the mat. The toes should point straight back and the soles should face the ceiling. The inner sides of the knees touch each other, and the heels are slightly wider apart than the width of the pelvis. Lower yourself carefully onto the brick.
Observe the sensations in the legs. What is happening in the feet, the ankles, the shins, the knees and the thighs? If you feel too much pressure on the ankles or the knees, put another one or two blankets under the shins. If you feel burning or sharp or pinpoint pain in the knees, take them hip-width apart so that the thigh bones are parallel to each other and to the edges of the mat, and then raise the support under the pelvis.
As soon as you feel comfortable, start to align the pose. First check the position of the feet. Before making any corrections, make sure they are placed symmetrically: turned in to an equal degree, the heels at the same distance from the pelvis and the ankles parallel to each other. The feet should also be in line with the shins. Draw in the outer sides of the ankles and press both heels firmly toward the pelvis. Place your hands under the feet and use the fingers to draw the skin outward - this makes the feet less rigid.

<table>

incorrect 
Do not let the feet splay out to the sides
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incorrect 
Do not sit on the heels
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<td>

correct 
Keep the natural curve of the lower back
</td>
</tr>

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Now turn your attention to the knees. When they are positioned correctly they keep their mobility and do not hurt, either during the pose or afterwards. Students, however, often let the knees fall inward and overstretch the ligaments behind the knee, which can lead to injury. If the knees hurt, sit higher. On the other hand, slight discomfort is perfectly natural - it may arise if you are doing Virasana for the first time.
With your palms draw the skin of the knees toward you, releasing them from excessive pressure. Observe the sensations in the knees - most likely they will differ from one side to the other.
Then focus on the front of the thighs. Do you feel rigidity or tension there? The thighs should turn inward and the shins should press well into the floor. Feeling strength and stability in the legs, breathe evenly. Notice how much Virasana does to revive and relax the legs.

Aligning the Hero's body

A correct position of the pelvis is the basis of a strong and healthy spine. Imagine that your pelvis is a bowl filled with water. Place your hands on the sides of the pelvis and lean carefully forward, imagining that the water flows toward the front rim of the bowl. Then lean back, as though you wanted it to move toward the back rim.
Now find the central position, in which the water touches the walls of the bowl evenly, and then lean forward slightly so that it just touches the front rim. This is the neutral position of the pelvis, in which the lower back keeps its natural curve.
When we take up an unfamiliar position, tension can appear in some parts of the body. This is especially true of the abdominal muscles. Take a few even, full cycles of breath, expanding the abdomen on the inhalation and relaxing it on the exhalation.
Virasana helps to develop good posture as no other pose does. Observe the natural curves of the spine. When the pelvis is correctly positioned, a soft curve forms in the lower back. Place a palm on the lower back to feel whether it is drawn in, rounded or flat. Try to correct the position of the spine.
 
Unlike the lower back, the middle and upper back should move slightly backward. To find the right shape, take the ribcage toward the back. This is a subtle movement - you should get the feeling that the middle and lower back touch your shirt a little more than the front of the body does. Make the movement slowly and thoughtfully, without letting the shoulders lift up or fall forward. Now imagine that the ribcage is filled with helium and let it rise, at the same time broadening the area of the collarbones.
Draw the arm bones back into the shoulder sockets - this will help lift the ribcage. Rest the palms on the thighs. Breathe evenly, feeling the lungs fill with air.
Finally, align the head - it should be directly above the pelvis. Lengthen the back of the neck so that the base of the skull lifts slightly and the chin is parallel to the floor. Soften your gaze and relax the throat. Let the upper palate move toward the crown of the head and the tongue grow heavy. Stay in the pose until you feel tension and discomfort.
To come out of the asana, go onto all fours. Straightening the legs carefully, come into Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) - it will help release the tension from the knees. (Yoga Journal)

Further notes on Virasana

Virasana is the «hero pose». The main contraindication to holding this pose for a long time is varicose veins in the legs, especially in their lower part. In that case the maximum holding time should be no more than forty seconds, though two or three repetitions are allowed.
In Virasana the back should be completely straight, both in the stretch from the sacrum to the beginning of the ribs and in the neck and shoulder-blade region, and the ribcage is open.
It has already been said that in any classically performed asana for flexibility a pre-meditative state of consciousness arises, halfway between sleep and waking, somewhat resembling «Shavasana». Virasana is very instructive in this respect, and also as regards what comes of keeping the spine vertical. If the ankle and knee joints allow you to hold the pose for a long enough time without sensation, then toward the end of the eighth or tenth minute - if the position of the spine is wrong - shortness of breath and palpitations appear as if from nowhere, without any visible cause. If the posture is fine but the vertical is not kept, then as you relax you will begin to fall forward or backward.
If the ankle joints are not yet stretched, you should simply sit on the heels for a while at first. However you manage to sit at the outset - on the heels or on the floor between the parted feet - you must watch the sensations.
If there are any - no matter where or of what kind, excepting unpleasantness and pain - you should straighten the back and relax in such a way that they disappear, melt away, so that nothing remains but the emptiness of consciousness and ease in the pose. Then, when something begins to emerge out of that emptiness - no matter where - you should lean slowly forward, supporting yourself on the floor with your hands and lifting your rear, thereby taking the load off the knees and coming out of the pose. Then stretch the legs forward and relax them.
If the sensations during the pose neither go away nor grow stronger, you can stay in Virasana until you notice their intensity increasing or an unpleasant note appearing in them. If the knees or ankles are in really poor condition, then at first you should put two or three books or a not-too-soft cushion under your rear when doing this asana. The idea remains the same: to provide the shape of the pose that is possible for you today, with minimal sensations that then, after a while, drop out of your field of attention as a result of conscious relaxation of body and mind.
Arrange yourself so that the ankles lie exactly on the insteps, turning neither in nor out, with the heels pointing straight up, and each foot should be vertical, like a palm resting on its edge. The seat, meanwhile, rests freely on the floor between the feet.
Those who cannot even sit down on their heels should do «Ardha Virasana», that is, the half pose, with one leg stretched forward. If you stay in Virasana long enough (without unpleasant sensations, of course, in an emptiness close to «Shavasana»), curious sensations and effects arise. After about ten minutes, say, obscure movements appear in the body; it goes on settling somehow in the hips and knees, although there seems to be no reserve of shape left at all.
If you hold the pose longer still, one particular therapeutic effect of holding it from twenty minutes to half an hour (without any strain or unpleasant sensation) is that it relieves so-called cluster headaches of the migraine type, which no medicine will free you from, since their origin appears to be connected with the vascular system of the brain.
The reason for this effect of Virasana is simple enough: when the pose is held for a long time the blood flow in the shins is substantially restricted, and congestion arises and begins to build up. Since the circulation is not stopped completely, the oxygen-poor blood gradually enters the bloodstream and reaches the chemoreceptors of the brain, which «give the command» to release vasodilating substances in order to clear what appears to be an acute stenosis (narrowing) of the vessels in the periphery. This mechanism, set off by an artificial restriction of blood flow, works automatically, and the headache disappears.
In general, holding time, as has already been noted, is an enormous multiplier of the effect of the yoga asanas, and it must not be disregarded. There are several curious cases of losing track of time in the asanas, with noticeable consequences.
A certain lady (let us call her I.) who practised hatha yoga regularly once found in herself the first signs of flu, which upset her greatly, since with a temperature above 37°C asanas are not recommended. Out of frustration she decided to sit for a longer time in at least one pose, Virasana, so as to relax well and for a while not feel the horrid tickle in her nose and the scratching in her throat. Let me note at once that I. had pronounced natural hypermobility of the joints. So she sat comfortably in Virasana and soon, relaxing, «switched off». Coming to herself some forty minutes later, I. was surprised to find that the slight fever and all the other symptoms of illness had safely disappeared - a small happy ending.
An acquaintance of mine once fell genuinely asleep in the same way in «Padmasana», although he was feeling perfectly well. Waking about an hour later, he was greatly puzzled by a cardiac arrhythmia that had set in and then did not leave him for a whole month.
Those whose well-developed calf muscles prevent them from sitting down properly in Virasana should take hold of the calves with the hands and draw them outward to the sides, so as then to lower the seat to the floor without hindrance. (V. Boyko, YIK)

The effects of practising Virasana

Virasana relieves rheumatic pain in the knees, treats gout, forms the arch of the foot and is ideal for pain in the feet, calves and heels, for growths on the heel bone and for feet that go cold or feel tired. Hero Pose is good for those who work in water or stand on their feet for hours, and also in disorders of the blood vessels. Those who suffer from heel pain caused by heel spurs will find relief, and the spurs will gradually disappear. Virasana gives a superb stretch to the ankle joints and (together with the standing asanas) removes the tendency to chronic subluxation of these joints caused by the poor quality of their ligaments.