- Hey everyone, welcome
to Yoga With Adriene.

I'm Adriene, and today on
the Foundations of Yoga,

we're learning Hero Pose or Virasana.

This posture's awesome,
right before bedtime,

this is a great set up for meditation.

This is something that you
probably will come across

in a public class and it's a tender one

so I think this is a great one to learn,

especially if you have sensitive knees,

but for everyone who wants to be

super mindful in their practice.

We'll learn how to set it
up with props that you have

on hand at home, as well as without.

So, you're gonna need a block
or a book, something firm,

and then two towels.

So, if you have two Yoga blankets, great,

otherwise, just two towels.

So, take a second to go grab those things

and let's hop on the mat and get started.

(upbeat music)

Alright, let's break this thing down.

So, I have my two towels here.

Notice we have towels
instead of Yoga blankets.

You know, I have a big
sack of Yoga blankets

but chances are that you may not at home.

So, if you do not have Yoga blankets,

fear not, you just need two towels.

They don't even have to
match, these don't match.

We're gonna use them.

If you don't have a block or book,

you can also use an
extra towel, so fear not.

I'm gonna teach us how to
do a supported Hero first

and then we'll do it without the props.

So, I think it's important
for everyone to learn it

with the supports because it's
common for us to think that

tending to this pose is just
for people with knee problems

or with tight knees, tight knee joints,

and I think everyone can benefit
from learning the support

because the knees are so precious, right?

We really need to be mindful of the knees

so I think that's understood by everyone,

but just in case you don't
want to learn the supports,

give it a try, alright.

We're gonna do a really basic support too

so it should feel good.

Starting with the bottom towel.

So, the Yoga blanket will fold perfectly

and give you this nice, even ground.

The towel will be different so

as part of your Yoga practice already

is kind of like

just going with the flow and working with

what you've got, right.

Making the best with what you have.

Being present so, I love
that about the home practice

and about Yoga With Adriene channel,

is like you just work with what you got

and it's totally different
than what you do at the studio.

Studio's awesome, all
the props there, amazing,

but it's really nice to
be able to do these things

at home for ourselves so.

I'm gonna fold the blanket, excuse me,

the towel, the blanket, just
so that it's nice and even

and then, if you're a
bit of a control freak,

perfectionista like me, you're
gonna have to let that go

'cause it may not fold perfectly even.

But you're just gonna wanna
get a nice, smooth top

and then maybe a clean
edge here for your ankles,

but if not, it's okay.

Alright, so try to let go of
just getting everything perfect

and focus on, you know, is it comfortable?

Does it feel supportive?

Okay, and then we're gonna
come onto our little cushion.

Gonna bring it to the center of your mat.

And this will be a little
different for everyone

based on, you know, your
towel and your anatomy.

And I'm gonna come onto my
cushion and I'm gonna try to

get it to where, so I'm gonna
adjust mine so it's longer

this way, I'm gonna try to get it to where

my ankles fall off the cushion.

Alright.

So, right at the ankles
and the tops of the feet

just fall off there and check it out.

Okay, cool.

So come back to all fours
when you feel like you have

found that and just take a second here

to notice your breath.

Walk the knees hipwidth apart.

Shins are parallel and
perpendicular to the floor.

Parallel to each other (laughs) and

perpendicular to the floor.

Alright.

I'm gonna go ahead and take my block here

and bring it between the ankles

and you can kind of snuggle

the block with the ankles
here, kind of squeeze.

And then nice and slow, pressing
into the tops of the feet,

I'm gonna walk the palms back.

Bring the thumbs to the backs of the knees

and use the thumbs to
gently push the fleshy part

behind the knees back and
then continue that down,

as you slowly, slowly sit back.

So, essentially, I'm taking
the flesh of the calves

to the side, should feel good.

And I come to sit up nice and tall.

Knees are still in line
with the hip points,

I'm pressing into the tops of the feet

and my feet are able to just kind of

fall off the blanket
here so, or the towel so,

you can snuggle it back up as you need

and then just check it out here.

So this is a little bit
of a workshop right.

That's what I love about the
Foundations of Yoga playlist

is we get to kind of break things down

and play so that when you
do go to public class,

and you do have all your props available,

and you know, the
teacher says, "Virasana",

you can go, "Oh, okay, I know
what I need to do for myself

"to be present and alive in this posture."

So, check out this setup.

If you're feeling pretty good here,

pretty solid in the knees,
then see what happens

if you begin to walk the knees

and the inner thighs together.

If the body says, "No",
then listen to your body,

bring it back, hipwidth apart.

If you're on all fours right now going,

"Girl, I can't get there,
knee joints are too tight."

We're gonna come off and
we're gonna take the towel,

probably to a longer length and fold it up

to like a mini bolster here so a thin

snake, or hotdog like.

That comes from working with kids, right.

You fold your paper hamburger style,

and then you fold it hotdog, okay.

So, roll it up hotdog-style

and you're gonna bring it
right above the ankles here.

So, if you don't have a block,

you can just do the same thing

right between the arches of the feet,

roll it up.

I was about to make an inappropriate joke.

Roll it up, sit up nice and tall.

So, this feels awesome for me.

I don't know if you can
see the set up here but

feel, looks like it feels
good and it does feel good

so I'm giving myself a little cushion

on the shins and the ankles.

Giving myself a little
cushion between the ankles,

the heels and my sitting bones.

And then my coccyx, my tail
is really able to kind of

ground into the block
so that I can find lift

up through the center
line, that plumb line.

And then I draw my
shoulder blades together

so really, really draw the
shoulder blades together.

Anchor a little weight
down through the elbows

and then find this big lift in the heart,

lift in the sternum.

So in Kids' Yoga, but I
say this now actually,

in my public class.

Someone is like, "How?" you know.

It's Hero Pose.

Virasana, also known as Thunder Bolt.

What kind of energy can
you bring to Hero Pose?

Is it like, you know,
you're not just like here.

You know.

There's a reason we come into these shapes

and you need to find that reason,

in my opinion.

So, we're here.

Another option

is if the knees are really
tight, you can also take

the towel or blanket and
bring it behind the knees

and this just gives us
a little bit of space

at the crease of the knee
so that you can kind of

release some of the
pressure in the knee joint.

Oh yeah, this is nice.

Really nice.

And you can even go
more, like rolling it up

and bringing it behind
the knees even more.

If you have more blocks,
you can even lift up higher.

Great, and then we'll
just, wherever you are

in your workshop of this posture,

draw the shoulder blades together,

press the palms down or flip the palms up,

whatever feels good to
you and then find that

lift in the heart.

It's a great stretch in the quads.

Great stretch in the legs.

Beautiful opening for the lower body,

the ankles, the knee joints.

Press into all 10 toes,
so energy through the feet

and of course, big lift, Hero Pose.

Up through the crown and in the heart.

This is a great setup for a meditation.

And an awesome pose to just kind of calm,

so if you're PO'd or
you've had a rough day,

this is an excellent pose
to just kind of setup,

and it might seem kind
of abnormal to do that,

but what if we started doing this so much

that we lived in a world where
you know, we could be like,

"Peace out, gonna go setup for
some Hero Pose for a second."

And you just go and you
just get your towels and

you're ready to do your
thing and you're here

for even one minute, and
then you come off your mat

and continue with the rest of your day.

That's the goal, for me.

Okay, I'm gonna come out of this.

In case you wanna learn
it without the props.

Maybe that's available to you in your body

and if it's not, good thing we know now,

how to set this up with the props.

So, it's all different levels.

Oftentimes, in public Yoga
class, I'll grab a block,

you know, no matter what.

I actually always grab
a block and a blanket.

It's just nice to kind
of cushion the knees and

sit on a block but, with just the block,

we come to all fours,
knees hipwidth apart.

I squeeze the block here.

Also a good setup for Camel Pose.

Check in with your breath

and walk the palms back.

Take the thumbs behind the knees,

walk the fleshy part
or pull the fleshy part

of the calves back.

And this might be your Hero,

or you might walk the knees together.

Just kind of going
through this a little bit

swifter.

Great, and then without the block,

I'm gonna play, coming to all fours,

connecting to my breath,
walking the palms back,

fleshy part of the calves move away

and I sit back between the heels.

It's a lot different.

Find that length up through the crown.

If it feels good, I might
walk the knees together.

I'm pressing into the tops of the feet,

nice stretch here.

Sitting between my heels.

Lift in the crown, lift in the heart,

shoulder blades drawing in
together and down, activate.

Okay.

Find a little variation
here to work towards.

Knees hipwidth apart, big toes to touch.

Sitting down here and then eventually

snuggling the sitting
bones between the heels.

Knees together, can I get there?

Yeah.

So, this is a little
tighter, more traditional

Hero, Virasana.

I prefer to keep the space, honestly,

because this is just too much
pressure on my ankles here.

I can feel it now.

But it's just trying to prep
you for all the variations

of public class.

Okay, awesome work, so wherever you are,

let's do this together, just a little,

quick, you know, two-minute
meditation of sorts.

We're gonna come into your
favorite version of Hero Pose

and if you're about to stop
the video 'cause you're like,

"I don't have time for
this", you do have time.

Let's put it to practice.

I think you do, right?

A minute and a half, how about it?

I'm gonna do this.

I'm gonna do this actually,

I'm gonna get this one.

Great.

Hmm, so nice.

So come into your favorite version

after your little workshop here.

See what feels good for you.

And then connect to the
energy here, nice and strong.

So find that lift up
through the center channel.

Then, like I'm doing here,
feel free to experiment with

what feels good today, right.

Every day's different, maybe

you know,

you just did a practice,

maybe you're about to do a practice.

Hands come to the tops of the thighs.

You decide what feels best.

Palms face down or palms face up.

Everyone, draw the
shoulder blades together.

Find that lift up through the crown

and then consider the
name of this posture.

Hero Pose.

You know, I started off
teaching Kids' Yoga,

many years ago, and I'd
ask the kids, you know,

"How does a hero feel?"

You know, "Proud or sad?"

Be like, "Proud."

"So what does proud look like?

"What does victorious
look like in the body?"

So look, you know, everyone
puff up and lift up.

So it's that here.

It's hard to kind of come to that when

the knees are screaming or you're not

tending to the joints properly so.

Hopefully you can get set up
in a way that feels supportive.

Just gonna take one quiet moment here

to find the breath.

You can close your eyes.

Settle into this seat, Virasana.

(deep breaths)

Great, drop the chin to the chest,

stretch through the back of the neck.

Bat the eyelashes open, hmm.

Awesome work my friends.

Go ahead and carve a line
with the nose, look up.

And then we'll come out of the posture

by coming onto all fours,

and take the block to the side.

Maybe you take a second here to just

rock front, rock back.

Maybe you take it into a
Cat/Cow or rotate the ankles.

Awesome work.

Okay, everyone, thank you
so much for taking the time

to break down Hero Pose with me.

I think it's important that
we remember to take the time

to learn these postures, but
not just learn the postures

and how to set them up, but
learn them in our bodies, right.

And perhaps you already
know that but I feel like

it's just a great reminder as
we continue to learn and grow

and evolve in our Yoga
practice and in life.

Keep checking in with how things feel

with you and your body.

Set yourself up for greatness

and we'll keep inspiring
each other to do that

year round, alright.

Free Yoga videos every Wednesday.

Questions, comments below.

Thank you for supporting the channel

and contributing to this
community with your conversation

and your presence and your energy.

It rocks!

Let's keep going.

Take good care.

Namaste.

(upbeat music)