Pose of the week: warrior 1 or virabhadrasana 1 (VEER-ab-ha-DRAH-sanna) Keeping with the warrior series that has been featuring regularly in pose of the week, this is another really fundamental pose in many different types of yoga. It has an instantly recognisable shape. In fact half way through a class one of my beginner students exclaimed ‘now I feel like I’m doing yoga!’ the first time we practiced this pose. Yet, as with most of the warrior poses, this asana is as challenging for experienced students as it is accessible to beginners. Get into it… Take a wide stride on your mat, facing the long edge of your mat. Turn your right foot out 90 degrees. Your right foot is now parallel with the long edge of your mat. Turn your left foot in at least 45 degrees, so that those toes point towards the front left corner of your mat. Turn your hips to face in the same direction as the toes on your right foot, and square your chest in that direction. Look down and check that the heel of your front foot is lined up with the heel of your back foot (photo 2). As you inhale lift your chest (photo 3). As you exhale bend your front knee a little more. On an inhalation reach your arms overhead. Look forwards or up (photo 4). Hold for 10 breaths and then repeat on the other side. Watch out for… A common tendency is for the front knee to collapse inwards. Look down and check that you can still see the big toe on your front foot. Also ensure that your front knee isn’t overshooting that ankle. I’m struggling a bit… To gauge the length of stride that’s right for you, tune into the sensation in your hips. If the sensation is too intense to sustain for a minute or 2, step your back foot towards your front to shorten your stride. If you want to work a bit harder: lengthen your stride. If you’re feeling unbalanced, your front knee keeps collapsing inwards or you’re finding it hard to turn your hips to face forward at all, try widening your stride by stepping your back foot out to the side a little. Challenge me… Bend your front knee to 90 degrees. Tuck your front buttock under and lift your front hip away from your front thigh, while trying to bring the hip of your back leg further forward. As you exhale engage your core muscles slightly, and then as you inhale bring your upper body into a backbend.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000
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