The Power of Yoga – Warrior Series – Virabhadrasana I

Today I’ll write about a yoga pose called warrior I. When you think about yoga you’d probably think of something calm and peaceful first, so it’s quite strange to have a pose called “warrior”. In Sanskrit it is called Virabhadrasana and it is meant to help us counteract ignorance (Avidya) which is seen as the source of all Suffer.

There are three variations of the warrior. This post is going to be about the first one as I mentioned already. On the picture you see me doing the first warrior. It is a position which is suitable for beginners and it is often part of the warm up or the sun salutation (Surya Namaskara). That is a set sequence of asanas with some variations.

The warrior I is a standing pose as you can see in the picture. The front leg gets strengthened and the other leg gets a nice stretch especially in the hip flexor. The trunk is active, and the arms are outstretched and active too. This asana requires concentration and it charges the body with energy and increases the body awareness.

In this asana it is really important to breathe slowly and not let the body cramp or freeze. Shoulders and jaw should be relaxed. You should observe your body and this asana can help to stay in this exact moment. When you open up your trunk and look up to the outstretched hands it helps to relieve the respiratory tract.

This was the description of the first warrior. The next post is going to be about the second one. Hope you enjoyed!