Poses 101: Warrior I

One of my best, favorite asanas! Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) is a foundational yoga pose that balances flexibility and strength. It strengthens the legs, improves balance, and stretches the muscles around the hips.

For a safe Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I), follow the instructions below:

Begin in Mountain Pose (Tadasana), standing with your feet hip-distance apart and your arms at your sides.

Exhale fully. Inhale deeply, and with your right foot gental step and turn your body to the left. Exhale, and step your feet wide about 4 to 5 feet.

Step your left foot back, maintaining a hip-width distance between both feet (remember to breathe).

Pivot on the left heel to point the toes out to the left at a 45-degree angle. Ground down through the outer edge of the back foot.

Bend your right knee directly over your right ankle, right thigh is parallel to the floor. Hips will not be absolutely square!

Shoulders over the hips, not behind. bringing your arms out to the side and up toward the ceiling. Your chest stays open as you come into a slight spinal extension (also known as a backbend).

Your palms can touch overhead in prayer or stay shoulder’s distance apart, whichever is more comfortable in your body.

Lift your gaze toward your thumbs, or if that creates tenson in the neck/shoulders, level the head and gaze down the tip of the nose and slide your shoulder blades down the back.

Check the alignment of your hips. Draw your right hip back and your left hip forward so that both hips are squared to the front of your mat.

Ground down through the outer edge of your left foot. Make sure your right thigh is still as parallel to the floor as possible.

To come out of the pose, drop your hands to your mat and step your right leg back to Downward Dog.

Remember these key points:

Protect your knee of your forward leg by not extending it past your toes.

Square your hips to the front by imagining your hip points as headlights facing forward.