Yoga BLOG

Supta Virasana: the reclining hero Even heroes need a break sometimes. The message that Supta Virasana conveys to you already has something soothing about it. Because if heroes need to relax and rest after battles, so do you after your stressful everyday life. Don't you agree? Here you'll learn how to perform Supta Virasana, how to prepare for this asana, and how you can benefit from it. Find peace on the mat In Supta Virasana, you lie on your back on your mat as relaxed as possible. Your buttocks are positioned between your feet, which point backward on either side of your body due to your bent knees. Your arms are either relaxed at your sides or clasped at the elbows in the frame pose above your head. Slowly prepare Supta Virasana The challenge that the reclining hero pose presents for many yoga practitioners is the stretch that the intense backbend with bent legs will trigger in the front of both your thighs. You can practice this stretch beforehand through targeted exercises and become more and more familiar with it. You can strengthen the effort it may take to move from a seated position on the floor with bent legs into a supine position by creating individual supports. For example, you can initially support yourself with a soft cushion and your head on a folded blanket. You can gradually reduce the supports as you feel more confident. Of course, the backbend can also be practiced standing up, allowing you to progress from the standing warrior pose to the reclining hero pose. Virasana is also a classic preparatory exercise for the reclining hero pose and can also be combined with a valuable meditation. Find your own path to Supta Virasana! Experience the effects of Supta Virasana Body, mind, and soul find peace in the reclining hero pose. Therefore, lying in a relaxed stretch is ideal, even for extended periods, for truly unwinding from everyday life. Physically, Supta Virasana offers an intense stretch for the muscles on the front of your thighs and, of course, also in the hip flexors. The backbends also expand your chest, allowing you to open your heart to the good things in life. Stretching your abdomen can be a valuable support for bloating or a feeling of fullness. If you have breathing difficulties caused by a hunched chest (perhaps you sit at a computer for long periods every day), the Reclining Hero pose will likely also be beneficial for you. If you tend to hectic chest breathing, Supta Virasana improves your abdominal breathing through the increased space and is therefore also an ideal position for pranayama . Your ankles will become more flexible when you sit or lie on your back between your legs, and your mind and soul will find peace in the reclining hero pose. You will learn to gradually allow yourself to get used to an unfamiliar position, even if it may not seem particularly comfortable at first. In the unfamiliar reclined position, you will notice that the ground will support you at all times, even without your control. This is a skill and insight that can help you time and again when you face difficult situations in everyday life. You relax and allow your breath to flow calmly. Contraindications for Supta Virasana If you have acute knee or ankle problems , it's best to ask your yoga instructor to show you alternative exercises to the reclining hero pose. Minor problems can be addressed with props. Sitting on an elevated surface significantly reduces the strain on your knees and feet, especially during backbends. When coming out of the pose, always place your hands on the floor first to reduce the stretch in your legs. Image © xalanx / 123rf.com

Seated yoga exercises: valuable asanas The neck is an area of our body that often receives too little attention. It's often overshadowed by the back, which we all want to treat when it's tense or in pain. Yet our neck is a particular area where many problems can originate. Muscle tension here can manifest itself in headaches, shoulder and arm pain, and even insomnia. The neck is often strained or even overstressed in everyday life. You may notice this particularly clearly if you frequently work at a computer. There are many yoga exercises that help you strengthen your neck and also learn to relax. Seated yoga poses are ideal for this. We'll introduce you to some of them in this blog post. Four seated yoga exercises Yoga Mudra: Forward Bend in Lotus In Yoga Mudra, you experience a long neck at its finest. By bending forward, you not only bow to creation, which gives you roots and wings at the same time, but you also relax your neck, increasingly as you become more and more aware of the gentle stretching of this area in this pose. You also bend forward at your desk. But this lengthening of your neck is completely different from that offered by yoga exercises in a seated position: While mental work at your desk can lead to a tense neck and you often look left and right, Yoga Mudra is a true act of letting go. You sink deeper and deeper into this pose, lengthening and relaxing your neck area, and learning to let go more and more, physically and mentally. Bandha Padmasana: bound lotus pose The bound lotus pose is one of the seated yoga poses well-suited for advanced practitioners. It relaxes your neck just like the forward bend in the lotus pose, but the posture is a bit more intense: By tying your arms behind your lower back, you gently draw your shoulders down. This creates the freedom for the neck that you may have often heard in yoga or exercise classes with the phrase "shoulders away from your ears." Unlike hunched shoulders, the neck can be optimally relaxed, making the bound lotus one of the ideal seated yoga poses for the neck. Try it out and see how your neck feels in this pose! Garbhasana: Fetal Pose The fetal pose is one of the asanas that offers perfect protection and relaxation. Is there a more relaxing posture than that of the child in the womb? Child's pose, as it is also called, is naturally also one of the seated yoga exercises that can benefit your neck. A holistic exercise that helps you relax your body, mind, and soul and gives you strength for the challenges ahead in life. It is one of the seated yoga exercises that is also suitable for balancing after strenuous asanas or at the end of a yoga class. Virasana: Warrior Warrior pose is also one of the seated yoga exercises that can promote neck health and thus your well-being. Here, too, lowering your arms relieves pressure on your neck by increasing the space between your shoulders and ears, thus giving your neck freedom. Virasana is also one of the seated yoga exercises that also relieves pressure on your back. Hero's pose, as it's also called, also helps relax your legs after a long day at work. Your mind can also find peace in this position. If you wish, you can also practice meditation or breathing exercises (pranayama) in the warrior pose to regain strength and rejuvenate yourself. Image © iofoto / 123rf.com