Warrior 3 - Virabhadrasana 3 - is perhaps the most challenging of all the Warriors as it requires strength, balance and flexibility. This pose provides many benefits to it's practitioner, including strengthening the legs, feet and ankles, strengthening the core muscles, opening and toning the shoulder muscles, and helping to improve balance. Keep reading to learn how to move into this pose. Since balancing in this pose can be especially difficult for beginners, I have also included the supported version of this pose as well. Enjoy!
Pose Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
Step 1: Begin standing in tadasana toward the front of your mat. Take a step back with your Left foot, about a leg length distance away from your front foot. Square your hips to the front of the mat.
Step 2: With your hands on your hips to help keep them facing forward, bend your front knee, coming into a "baby" Warrior 1 pose. Keep the chest lifting and the spine long.
Step 3: Hinge from the hips, bringing your upper body forward, over your bent knee. Keep lengthening through the spine and begin to engage through the core muscles. You may want to come up on to the toes of the back foot here.
Step 4: Straighten the front leg, lifting the back one up to hip height. Keep the toes of the back foot turned toward the floor. Stretch forward through the arms and fingers, and back through the heel.
Step 5: Breathe and Feel.
Keep pressing through the back heel and reaching through the arms.
Hug the belly in to the spine, keeping the spine supported and long.
Notice where your head is - keeping it between the arms.
Try to keep the hips level so the sacrum is flat. This may mean you have to release the hip of your lifted leg down toward the floor.
Hold for 5-10 breaths if possible.
Step 6: Carefully step the back foot down to the mat, release the arms, bringing the hands back to the hips. Bend the front knee and step the back foot forward to tadasana. Repeat on the other side.
FOR BEGINNERS OR THOSE WHO STRUGGLE WITH BALANCE:
Props needed: Flat, unobstructed wall and a chair.
Step 1: Set your mat up with the short end into the wall. Place your chair just in front of the mat with the back of the chair seat facing you.
Step 2: Stand in tadasana close to the wall. Step your Right foot forward about a legs length distance away from the wall. Square your hips to the front of the mat.
Step 3: With your hands on your hips to help keep them facing forward, bend your front knee, coming into a "baby" Warrior 1 pose. Keep the chest lifting and the spine long.
Step 4: Hinge from the hips, bringing your upper body forward, over your bent knee. Keep lengthening through the spine and begin to engage through the core muscles. Reach your hands forward to the top of the chair seat. You may want to come up on to the toes of the back foot here.
Step 5: Straighten the front leg, lifting the back one up to hip height, and planting the foot into the wall. Stretch forward through the arms and fingers, carefully pushing the chair forward to come into the pose.
Namaste!! If you like these tutorials, you would love the Beginner Your Best Yoga class - subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to know about the next session dates - coming soon! Leave me a comment below if you try the pose or tag me in your instagram photo @sandrayogawpg.