The 21-Day Yoga Challenge: Pose a Day brings you today’s pose: Virasana ~ Hero’s Pose
Virasana or Hero’s Pose is often my go to when I begin my practice or I come to sit for meditation. If tight quadriceps or flexing the knee keep you from the traditional pose, props make it achievable and the benefits can still be received.
Virasana is a quieter offering for this weekend and one whose merits you may overlook. But don’t bypass it. Explore. See how it may tone your hamstrings, alleviate knee discomfort, stretch the tops of the feet and your quadriceps all while you draw into a calmer place.
Cues: Sit with the buttocks to the floor, the heels at the outside of the hips, and the knees together. Draw the spine long as shoulder blades draw down and collar bones broaden. Note the long line of energy from the crown of the head to the tail bone which helps create a neutral 
spine. With an engagement of the belly, keep the tailbone drawing toward the earth and avoid tucking or tilting the pelvis.
Benefits: Many advocate for how this pose is beneficial to digestion because it lengthens the torso and relieves the heaviness felt in the belly after eating. Varisana gives your quadriceps and the tops of your feet an excellent stretch. However, one of the primary benefits is the quieting of the mind. When you settle into this pose, inhale to draw the crown of your head upward, exhale to take the chin toward the chest which allows you to turn your gaze and attention inward.
Modifications: The traditional pose can be a tall order for many. Prop yourself to reduce strain in the knees and to find the ease and comfort in the pose. Sit on blankets, blocks (as in 1, 2, or 3!) to lift the torso and create space behind the knee. If knee pain remains, try rolling a towel behind the knees to create more space. Tops of the feet may cramp. Over time, this will lessen but in the meanwhile, prop the top of the feet with a blanket and let the toes release off the blanket.
UPDATE: Here are a few images of ways to practice with props.
2 comments
J Moxley says:
June 11, 2019 at 1:11 pm (UTC -4 )
Hero’s pose is one that I have difficulty with and would love to improve on. I don’t see the images for modifications. How can I see them? Love the details you give each day.
Ann says:
June 12, 2019 at 11:53 am (UTC -4 )
Thanks for the question. I have just update the post with pictures of some ways to modify. Please see: http://www.think-yoga.com/yoga/day-9/.
This pose is traditionally done with the buttock on the floor between the heels. That’s a tall order for many of us with tight hips or trouble with having the knee in such deep flection. Use a block or a blanket to sit upon or use two or three as needed! For more knee support, place a blanket behind between the hamstrings and the calves or roll a small towel and snuggle it in behind the knees. I hope this helps!!