How to perform Mountain Pose in Hero Pose
Sit in Virasana, stretch your arms out in front of you, and interlock your fingers. Turn your palms outward and, keeping your shoulders down and ribs in neutral, extend your arms upward.
What is Parvatasana in Virasana?
This is one of the variations of Virasana. In this case, you experience the added benefit of a shoulder-opening motion, as you sit back over your heels in Virasana.
As a more dynamic variation of the traditional pose, Parvatasana in Virasana can be used to strengthen and warm up your arm and shoulder muscles before you assume such positions as Adho Mukha Svanasana or Virasana Forward.
When stretching your arms up, make sure to pull your shoulders down and away from your ears. Notice how the sides of your chest begin to stretch as you take deep, invigorating breaths. Your spine extends through the crown of your head and the reach of your arms.
When to use Parvatasana in Virasana?
This particular variation of Virasana is especially beneficial at the start of a sequence as it wakes up the muscles in the upper body and provides a soft and effortless stretch in the knee joints and legs. It also comes well at the end of a sequence as a way to release any accumulated tension.
However, sitting in Virasana can prove to be too challenging for anyone with injured or stiff knees. In this case, you can try elevating your buttocks with blocks or folded blankets, or simply cross your legs instead.
