Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)
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Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) Pose | Standing
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 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 causes 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
