VIRABHADRASANA III: WARRIOR III
I have such a love-hate relationship with Warrior III! It’s so effective at improving balance and strengthening the body. But it’s so HARD!
BENEFITS OF WARRIOR III:
strengthening for whole body (especially the glutes! 🍑)
improves balance
improves posture
strengthens the ankles and feet
stretches the hamstrings
grounding
empowering
TRADITIONAL VARIATION
From Tadasana, bring your hands together at your heart in prayer. Find your center. Engage your core. Hinge at the hips and begin to lift the right foot up off the floor. Flex the right foot as you lean forward, extending the leg straight back. Imagine trying to press that foot into a wall (or maybe actually use a wall if you want!) Keep a microbend in the knees to prevent hyperextension. Keep the hips squared (both hip points pointing down toward the mat like two headlights). You may need to pull the right hip in more than you think you do. Pull the navel in. Keep the shoulders relaxed. Experience a line of energy from the heel of the right foot to the crown of the head. If desired, you can extend the arms straight in front of you. This will make the pose more challenging. Keep the neck long and gaze at one point on the floor in front of you. Hold for 5-10 deep breaths.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:
Microbend the knees
Engage your core!
Keep the hips square - right hip may need to come forward more than you feel like it does
keep the spine (including the neck) long
ADDING A CHAIR OR BLOCKS FOR SUPPORT
Resting your hands on the seat of a chair or putting a yoga block under each hand will help you to balance in this pose as you build strength. (My head isn’t actually touching the back of the chair)
ALTERNATE POSE: SPINAL BALANCE
This pose strengthens the same muscles and also challenges your balance, but you may find it a bit less intimidating since you’re closer to the floor in case you fall 😉
Start by coming into table top pose. Firm the abs in. Keeping the hips squared (both hip points pointing down toward the mat) extend the right leg straight back. Start by coming onto the ball of the foot, then experiment with lifting the leg up so that it’s parallel with the floor. Stay here, or further challenge yourself by lifting the opposite arm up. Hold for 5-10 deep breaths, then practice on the opposite side.
ALTERNATE POSE: SUPTA PADANGUSTHASANA
Supta Padangusthasana will give you a similar stretch as Warrior III, but without needing to balance.
HOW DID IT GO?
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