Yoga Posture of the Day

**Fortis in Arduis** · 07-22-2015, 04:19 PM

Supta Virasana - Reclining Hero Pose

Caution: Supta Virasana, the reclining variation of Virasana, is an intermediate pose. DO NOT perform this pose unless you can sit your buttocks relatively easily on the floor between your feet.

(soup-tah veer-AHS-anna)
supta = lying down, reclining
vira = man, hero, chief (compare Latin vir, “man,” the root of English words virile and virtue)

Theraputic Applications

Arthritis
Asthma
Diarrhea
Digestive problems
Flat feet
Head cold
Headache
High blood pressure
Infertility
Insomnia
Intestinal gas and acidity
Menstrual discomfort
Respiratory ailments
Sciatica
Varicose veins

Benefits

Stretches the abdomen, thighs and deep hip flexors (psoas), knees, and ankles
Strengthens the arches
Relieves tired legs
Improves digestion
Helps relieves the symptoms of menstrual pain

After a sleepless night, after an evening of maniacal cleaning, this posture saved my day. It is great for restoring digestion after a heavy meal, and for aiding digestion when appetite is weak.

Having been banned by the British Athletics Association, it has a little frisson of naughtiness, for those like to bend, the rules.

http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/reclining-hero-pose/

**Fortis in Arduis** · 09-06-2015, 09:03 AM

Do this, and you shall never suffer with back pain for long. The benefits are cumulative. Some practicioners make this their sole practise:

http://up4yoga.com/surya-namaskara-a/

**~~Linebacker~~** · 09-06-2015, 10:20 AM

I don't think I can pull that one off.I just tried in on the floor,the upper body part I get but legs too meaty to bend like in the picture.

**Fortis in Arduis** · 09-06-2015, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by Linebacker

I don't think I can pull that one off.I just tried in on the floor,the upper body part I get but legs too meaty to bend like in the picture.

Stiff hamstrings are a perennial chore, but you can pull this one off, and it could serve you well for warming up, cooling down, and catching your breath between sets, for example.

The adjustment you would make would be this:

When making the forward bend, keep the legs straight, kneecaps lifting, and fold down forwards as far as you can go, then bend your legs so that you can put your palms on the floor.

Then, after doing the "downward dog", jump forward (on an inhale) with your legs bent, so that you can place your feet between your hands, or as close as you can. Exhale, straighten the legs and just hang down as low as you can, using your stomach muscles to pull yourself further down. Inhale, come up, arms up, palms together. Exhale, arms by your side.

Just adjust by bending the legs when your hamstrings will not stretch any further, and they will loosen over time.

I met an excellent teacher-practitioner, incredibly strong, but with very limited flexibility, and this would probably never change for him. It did not matter because one does not have to be flexible to test and challenge one's limits.

Flexibility comes over time, and Surya Namaskara is where many yoga practicioners start. This exercise came to prominence from the training techniques of Indian boxers and wrestlers, and was not part of orthodox hatha yoga until recently.

Recent academic research details documentary evidence that physical journals in the early 20th century were full of the postural shapes that were very similar to Krishnamacharya's asana system. In particular, the flowing surya namaskar which later became the basis of Krishnamacharya's Mysore style, was not yet considered part of yogasana.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surya_Namaskar_Origins

• By placing the hands shoulder-width apart, and tucking the elbows in, so that the arms are parallel to the body, in dandasana (plank), one further isolates and strengthens the tricep muscles.