Find your inner warrior

A number of poses (known as ‘asanas’) that recur in classes are the group of standing poses called ‘warrior poses’ (or ‘virabhadrasana’). You will probably be familiar with these because they are often the poses shown in depictions of yoga. As the name suggests they are strong powerful poses, and when practising them you can feel strong and powerful, both physically and psychologically. Warrior asanas give us the permission to focus on our power, strength and energy, but at the same time they are humbling. They embody the need for steadiness and ease in all areas of our lives. And they give us a chance to play and explore our boundaries.

I love them! I’ll talk about three of them for you to enjoy. They are conveniently called: Warrior 1, Warrior 2 and Warrior 3.

Warrior 1

In this warrior pose, we stand and balance so wobbles are inevitable, but that’s ok! Balancing helps to still the mind and promote focus. It’s a great hip opener and can create space in the chest and stretch the front of the body. As the name suggests, ‘warrior 1’ frequently precedes other warrior poses, and the flow between the warrior asanas can be really quite calming when moving with the breath.

Warrior 2

Gazing along the front arm beyond your fingers can help with alignment. To test your proprioception (knowing where your body is, and receiving feedback from your body), avoid the temptation to glance back to the arm behind and just ‘feel it’ into place! There’s a dynamic pull between the front and back hand, and the legs are strong. Remember not to hunch your shoulders up to your ears.

Warrior 3

The final one is possibly the most challenging but (for me anyway) more

fun than the other 2. This one really fires up your energy and balance. The fear can set in and we can often hesitate to go too far forward in case we tip over, so it can be quite intense on the standing leg. Focus on the floor for security and breath!

In sum

The warriors benefit the following parts of the body: arms, shoulders, back (middle and lower), hips, glutes, quads, neck, knees, hamstrings and psoas (the muscles at the top of your hips, which connect your torso to your legs).

What’s not to love…?!

A secret of finding your inner warrior includes working up to the poses and not just launching yourself into them. We need to warm up and stretch because the asanas are strong and will challenge your body. To help with stability pull your navel back, engage glutes and core. Keep your gaze steady and breathe!!! Please don’t forget to breathe!

And finally

After practising any warrior pose, rest and reflect on what you have learnt, relish how your body feels after stretching and engaging the muscles. Let go, rest and soften the mind and body.

Love

Karen x