As we head into the thick of Sydney’s running and party seasons (full disclosure – I’m here for the running more than the partying…), it would be just my fortysomething weekend warrior’s luck to have developed some aches and occasional creaks in my knees. Perhaps it was that one time I wore these YSL Gaby heels and walked around in them to the annual work dinner or perhaps it’s been those weekends spent on Heartbreak Hill and that other hill that goes past the church near Edgecliff train station. Whichever it was, there’s no denying that my knees are in need of some TLC.
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| via yogajournal.com |
Which brings me to what I’m loving this week. Hero Pose. The photo above shows the real-world way of maintaining the pose. Note the use of a block to support your sit bones (yogi speak for butt) as you will your knees to yield and receive all that extra flow of blood and energy that the position is trying to give them.
I’ve committed a few minutes each day to sitting in Hero. Just breathing, thinking, trying to remember what I need to add the weekly shopping list, wondering if I remembered to put through the lunch order on FlexiSchools…. and enjoying that feeling of strength in my knees when I come out of the pose.
In addition to getting all of the above done, Yoga Journal tells me that I can expect the following added benefits from sitting in Hero:
- Stretches the thighs, knees, and ankles
- Strengthens the arches
- Improves digestion and relieves gas
- Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause (good to know for future reference)
- Reduces swelling of the legs during pregnancy (through second trimester) – (definitely NA)
- Therapeutic for high blood pressure and asthma.
Do you have a favourite yoga pose or stretch that targets a problem joint or body part of yours?