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Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) - [veer-ah-bha-drahs-anna]
Virabhadra - Named after a legendary warrior
sage who is said to have one thousand heads, eyes and legs.
Based on Warrior II, this demanding
posture produces a backbend and calls upon our entire body to
participate.
- Standing in Tadasana, walk or jump your feet
apart approximately 4 feet or as wide as it is comfortable.
- On your out breath, turn your torso and right
foot out 90 degrees and turn your left foot toward the right
about 10 degrees. Imagine trying to square the hips with your
right leg. Use your shoulders to help you turn your body. Take
a few breaths to balance and settle into this stance.
- Inhale and raise your arms out to the sides
and all the way into the air with your palms facing each other,
shoulder width apart. Stretch your arms from the elbows upward
to the fingers. Take a few breaths to settle into this stance.
- Exhale and bend the right knee so that your
leg creates no more than a 90 degree angle. Extend from the
right buttock. Lower your weight downward. Stretch the entire
length of your body from the back heel up through the fingertips.
Take your attention to your right knee; ensure that it is not
caving inward. Take your awareness to the right thigh and twist
it outward. Keep all of the limbs firm.
- Breathe deeply and evenly. Hold the pose for
as long as it is comfortable. Emerge from the pose on an in-breath
while straightening the right leg and bringing the arms down
to shoulder height, exhale the arms all the way down. Turn your
feet forward and repeat on the other side. Walk or jump your
feet back together.
Benefits:
- Strengthens back muscles
- Tones abdominal muscles and improves digestion
- Relieves back pain and sciatica
- Strengthens and stretches legs, ankles, and hip
flexors
Cautionary Notes/Modifications
- Because this asana hyper extends the rear thigh
and produces an acute back bend, release if it cause any pain
in the lower back.
- Narrowing your stance will make this posture
easier to perform. Do not extend your knee past your ankle.
- To take excess pressure off of the lower back,
lift the arms up and back slightly so that the chest and ribs
lift as well.
- To deepen the pose, look up toward the
ceiling
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