-- The Warrior Pose (second form)

About the Pose

The Warrior Pose covers many bases: it is a great hip stretch for beginners and is very beneficial for the knees -- as long as the alignment instructions for bending the front leg are followed closely. It is also effective for opening, strengthening and aligning your shoulders -- particularly if you are at all stoop-shouldered -- and stretches and realigns your neck.

The pose also has an uncanny effect on your mood, bringing forth a sense of strength, empowerment and the many other qualities of a well-adjusted warrior. Try it when you're feeling weary from desk work or just a bit overwhelmed...  

The Pose

Take the Basic Stance for Standing Poses.

Keeping your pelvis level, exhale as you bend your right leg -- ideally to a ninety degree angle, so that your thighbone is parallel to the floor. Bend your knee toward the middle of your right foot.

However much you are able to bend your knee, be sure that your right knee remains directly over the ankle (i.e. your shin should be perpendicular to the floor). If your knee goes out beyond your heel, then take a wider stance.

Keep your left thigh firm and the leg straight. Reach back strongly through your left arm to keep your torso centered and upright. Be aware of the centerline of your body; the central axis of your spine, and stretch your legs and arms equally away from that centerline.

Maintain an even stretch through both arms as you turn your head to look out over the right hand. To adjust your shoulders, take your hands slightly forward and draw your shoulders back; lift your heart and extend fully from your heart out through the fingertips, drawing your arms back in line with one another.

Refining the Pose

 Protecting and Strengthening your Knee

When bending your knee, keep your kneecap facing toward the middle of your foot. 

As mentioned above, also be sure that the bent knee remains directly above the heel, so that the shin is perpendicular to the ground.

Observing these two points of alignment for the knee both protects the knee from strain and strengthens the muscles which surround and support the knee joint.

 Opening your Hips

To deepen the stretch to your hips in the pose, do the following:

1. Bending your right knee only halfway, turn the tops of your thighs in (toward the center line of the body), moving the inner left thigh back. Your left hip should be lined up with your left heel. Firm your left thigh, keeping the leg straight and the thigh in this position as much as possible.

2. Firm the tops of your buttocks and draw your tailbone down toward the floor. As you draw your tailbone down, your lower belly will tone and draw in and up. Your thighs will rotate out and you'll feel a stretch deep in the hip joints.

3. Keeping these two actions, bend your right knee into the full pose, stretching your right knee away from your left hip. You'll feel a deep stretch on the insides of your thighs. Balance your weight evenly between the two feet.

Opening your Shoulders

To open your shoulders and chest, and to stretch the sides of your neck, do the following:

1. Turn your head to look forward, so the neck is extended evenly on all sides. Take both  hands forward, then retract both shoulders back, drawing the shoulderblades firmly into your back toward the spine.

2. Rotate your arms so that the palms face upward toward the ceiling; let this action draw the inner edges of your shoulderblades down your back toward your waist, pressing the lower tips of the shoulderblades forward to lift your heart and open your upper chest.

3. Keeping that opening in your heart, take your arms back in line with your body and turn your hands so that the palms face down toward the floor.

4. Keeping the muscles of your arms and shoulders firm and drawing inward toward your heart, radiate your strength from your heart back out through your arms, extending out through the bones to make the pose shine with an expansive energy.

5. Release the back of your neck so that it feels long and extended. Turn your head on the axis of the spine to look out over your right fingertips. Look with your left eye toward the fingertips, keeping your shoulders back. Let your head balance on the top of the spine, so that the back of your neck does not feel compressed. Enjoy the stretch to the sides of your neck and the release of tension from your shoulders.

-- Doug Keller

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