What do you mean by virasana?
Virasana is a Sanskrit word comprised of Vira means ‘hero’ and asana means ‘yoga pose’. Therefore, it is also known as Hero’s pose. Virasana is pronounced as ‘veer-AHS-anna’. This is a simple yoga pose, sometimes also used for meditative practices. There are many people who can’t sit in Vajrasana, Padmasana, and Sukhasasana, in that case, one can use Virasana as a substitute for the mentioned yoga poses for meditative or other yoga sessions because Hero’s yoga pose gives a larger area of contact with the ground.
How to do virasana step by step?
- Kneel on the floor with your hands rest on your knees.
- Bring your knees closer to each other.
- Slowly lower your hips so that you find yourself sitting on the mat.
- Press the tops of your feet on the floor.
- Your toes and feet should be on the ground and pointed outward.
- Initially hold the position for 30 seconds with normal breathing and gradually increase the time.
- This is the one round. Do 2 to 3 rounds as per your comfort.
8 Health benefits of virasana
- Meditative yoga: One can use it as a meditative yoga pose. Like all meditative yoga poses, it is conducive to physical and mental equilibrium.
- Strengthens the legs: It is a good yoga pose to make your thighs, knees, and ankles stronger.
- Removes lethargy: The practicing of the yoga pose helps to remove lethargy and enable you to be active and energetic.
- Discourage more sleeping: A person who is prone to excessive sleeping should practice this yoga pose.
- Strength & vigor: The practice of the yoga pose gives you strength, vigor courage, fortitude, and power.
- Helps to release gas: The practice of the yoga pose helps to improve digestion, releases unwanted gases, and overcome constipation.
- Menopause symptoms: The practice of the yoga pose helps to ease the symptoms of menopause.
- Overcome leg swelling: The practicing of the yoga pose reduces the swelling of legs during pregnancy.
Precautions of virasana
The various precautions and contraindications of virasana are:
- The asana shouldn’t be practiced during knees injury.
- It should also be avoided in case of the ankle or hip problems.
- Skip it if you have heart problems or headaches.
Beginner’s tip
Though, the practice of the yoga pose is easy and simple. While practicing, one has to put more pressure on the inner top feet in comparison to outer top feet. If you are unable to sit on the floor through your hips, it is better to use a cushion.
Philosophy & origin
Hatha yoga texts describe it as cross-legged meditation yoga. Virasana name is also found in the 8th-century book Patanjalayogashastravivarana and the 13th-century Vasishthasamhita wherein it has been described as a cross-legged meditative yoga. It has been described as Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga by B K S Iyengar in his book Light on Yoga.
