Last week, we looked at the basic setup for Warrior I / Virabhadrasana I pose. It can seem like a straightforward pose and if you don’t put specific effort into using muscles in your legs, you’ll miss the benefits of the stretch and strengthening.
To better understand the need to be aware and active in your legs, try these variations with your arms while in Warrior I. You’ll get the added benefit of stretching your shoulders, chest and back. And you may find as you move your arms in and out of these positions, you can get distracted, forget about the muscles in your legs and consequently wobble. The challenge will be to find the middle ground of trying to have strong stable legs, that are not rigid.
Start first in the basic Warrior I / Virabhadrasana I pose. Just keep your hands on your hips for now, and focus on your feet and legs. Push down through the back foot and feel like the entire foot is firmly pressing into the ground. Push your back thigh back making the leg straight (but don’t lock your back knee), then push down through your front foot – as if you are stomping your foot through the floor. Finally, gently squeeze your buttocks. Now find a little bit of ease in your legs, so the muscles are working but you aren’t rigid or stiff in your legs…and then try these arm variations:
Side bending
The simplest variation – simply reach the same arm as the leg that is back (eg. if your right leg is back, raise your right arm) and tip to your side. Or for fun, try reaching across your body. In either position, you’re looking for a deeper stretch in the front of the hip of the back leg.
Eagle pose arms
Borrowing the arm position from eagle pose or garudasana. Stretch your arms out to the sides, then bring the same arm as the back leg over the top of the other arm, and bring the back of the hands together. For more details on the arm position and variations for the arms see my post on Finding the right position for the shoulders in eagle arms. Feel the stretch across your upper back.
Clasping hands behind
Interlace your fingers behind. If possible, try to straighten your arms, or simply keep your elbows bent, and pull your shoulders down and back, and your elbows back. Find a comfortable stretch for your shoulders and chest.
Lean forward with hands clasped
This one is quite challenging for your balance and it requires a certain amount of flexibility in your shoulders. If you could not comfortably straighten your arms behind your back in the previous option, skip this one altogether. If you are able to get your arms comfortably straight, lean forward bringing your chest and belly to the side of your front thigh. If comfortable, lift your hands and arms up from your back – but only if want a deeper stretch and don’t feel pain.
