ABCs of Asanas #1: Warrior I

Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)is one of the most common asanas that you will complete in a vinyasa class and other yoga practices.  It is a strong posture with many benefits, yet it is a posture that most people can access in some variation.  In today’s post, I will break down this posture’s alignment, benefits, and common misalignments (ABCs).  Then, we will talk about a few variations.  So let’s get started!

Alignment for Warrior I

Like all asanas, there are many options for transitioning into Warrior I.  These include incorporating it into Sun Salutation B, stepping forward from 3-Legged Dog, or stepping back from Mountain Pose. Our Beginner’s Class is a great way to practice these transitions.  No matter how you are stepping into Warrior I though, you should guide your body to find some very specific alignments to prevent injury.

Feet

The first alignment concerns the feet.  The front foot should be pointing or facing the front edge of your mat.  The back foot should be flat on the mat at a 45-60-degree angle. Because you are grounding down into the mat with both feet, you will often hear your yoga guide say, “Pull your mat apart in opposite directions.”  Your two heels will one day be in a line, but this may not be in your practice yet.  I will talk about different variations below that will help you find stability and work towards this.

Knees

Another key body part in Warrior I is the front knee.  When you find the lunge in the posture, the knee should be directly in line with the front ankle.  If you gaze down for a moment, you should be able to see your big toe just inside of the knee.  If you can’t see the toe, it means your knee is collapsing toward your midline.

Also, the knee should never extend forward beyond the toes.  Once you improve your flexibility and strength in this posture, the front leg will look like an upside-down L with the femur parallel to the mat.  Do not become frustrated if this is not happening for you yet. Yoga is a journey!

Once you have your front leg situated, think about your back leg.  The quadricep should be contracted to provide your body a strong base, so it is not just the front leg working.  The adductors (the muscles that pull your leg in toward your midline) are also working hard here to create this strong base.

Hips & Torso

Next you want to focus on your hips.  Your goal is to get your hips to be parallel to the front edge of your mat.  A good visualization to help with this is to imagine that your hip bones are headlights.  They should be shining forward to guide your posture.  As you work for this, rotate your front leg hip back and your back leg hip forward.  This too takes a lot of practice, so don’t give up!

As you adjust the body, we move to the torso.  Your torso should be centered over the hips and facing forward.  Stretch up to take pressure off your lower back.  A slight backbend is often found in Warrior I.

Arms

Finally, we have reached the arms.  Once you are balanced on your mat and your lower limbs are aligned, stretch your arms up toward the ceiling.  Imagine that you are sending energy through your fingertips.  Downward rotate your shoulders away from your ears so that there is space between your ears and shoulders.

There are many other options for your hands and arms as well, so feel free to play around.

Benefits of Warrior I

Like all asanas, Warrior I is doing wonders for your body.  I don’t think that I could possibly list them all because no doubt I would forget at least one.  Nonetheless, Warrior I is exceptional for:

• Building hip flexibility
• Strengthening the legs
• Increasing core strength, especially the hard to reach transverse abdominis
• Strengthening the back
• Stretching the shoulders
• Increasing concentration
• Developing body awareness

Common Misalignments in Warrior I

Even though Warrior I is a beginner posture, there are a variety of body parts that can be misaligned.  The most common misalignments I have observed in teaching can be seen in the photograph above.  These include:

• Scrunching the shoulders up into the ears
• Letting the front knee cave in toward the midline
• Leaning the torso to one side
• Opening the torso up to face the side of the mat
• Collapsing into the lower back
• Relaxing the back leg so that only the front leg is helping with stability

Variations

One of the most frustrating aspects of a yoga class can be if your yoga guide does not provide you with different variations for postures.  Because yoga is a journey, there are innumerable ways to approach all asanas.  Some of the modifications can make the posture easier, while others are used for advancing your practice.  Here are some different variations of Warrior I.

Reduce the step between your legs

The first variation for beginning practitioners is a smaller step between the legs.  Additionally, you can spread the feet toward opposite mat sides so that the two heels are not in one line from the front.  This wider base will make it easier to balance. 

One word of caution as you approach this variation.  Even though your feet are wider apart, the smaller your step, the higher your center of gravity.  This can be a challenge for your balance, so play around with how far apart you step.  Find what works best for you, and as you become stronger and more comfortable in the pose, readjust.

Hold hands at heart center

Another variation is to hold your hands at heart center in prayer (Namaskar).  Many people find that holding their arms up next to the head is painful for the shoulders.  If this is the case, bring the arms down.  There are numerous hand and arm positions that can be more accessible and help to ease this stress.

Use a stool or low chair

The final variation of Warrior I that I will describe is for those that may be coming back from a serious injury or have hip problems.  For this variation, you will need a stool or a low chair.  Place the chair on the side of your mat. 

Gently step your leg that is on the same side as the chair forward so that your foot is just in front of the chair leg.  Adjust your feet as described in the Alignment section. 

As you begin to lunge, set the front thigh on top of the chair.  The chair will help to take pressure off your front leg, and you will be able to build your strength in the legs.

If you have other variations of Warrior I that you’d like to share with the TLY community or if you’d like to read about the ABCs of a specific posture, please comment below or send us a message.

You can also do some anatomy work on your own if interested.  Two yoga anatomy books I recommend and reference frequently are: Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews and The Yoga Anatomy Coloring Book by Kelly Solloway.

Tune in next week for a post on Determination vs. Surrender in a Yoga Practice.

See you on the mat!

~ Teriane

P.S. Have ideas for future posts? Let me know in the comments or via the contact page. Namaste!