Hello July

I remember summers being filled with sunshine and time to simply be. This summer, both seem in short supply. When life is especially full of activity, I return to my yoga practice. You might have a different practice, but one that equally slows you down and brings balance. This month I’m focusing on Hero Pose (Virasana), a seated posture that calms as it challenges.

While this posture, sitting on your shins between your feet with your knees bent, might not seem that difficult, it can be virtually unattainable to those with knee or ankle limitations. Even if it comes readily, the pose challenges both the body and mind.  Over the years, through injuries, pregnancies, and life’s busyness, I’ve practiced many variations of Hero Pose and still find it one of the most grounding of the seated poses. With the knees positioned forward, the sit bones can find a more even connection to a surface, generating improved stability.

To experience the grounding, calming quality of the pose, you must be both grounded and calm in your body. If your bottom doesn’t touch, pressure builds in your knees. In this case, a height (even a stool or chair) under you while your knees bend can relieve discomfort. If your knees still bear too much pressure, changing the upright position to a reclining one might help. Lie on your back with knees bent, your shins against the wall and soles of the feet on wall or, if possible, tops of feet, lengthening the front of ankles and flexing the knees. Although you are not upright, you can still experience of the benefits of the pose without straining the knees. Since the pose brings the calves to the hamstrings by flexing the knees, alternatives are any seated position in which the knee is flexed.

These variations reveal that calm and challenge are not mutually exclusive. Settling the body brings calm; challenge invites focus. So, if you haven’t yet found your summer groove, try a grounding yoga pose.