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Virabhadrasana 1 / Warrior 1
veer-ah-bahd-RAHS-anna
Overview
“Virabhadra” is the name of a powerful warrior that comes from Hindu legend. Indeed, Virabhadra was one of the most trusted guards and generals of Shiva, a protector of sages, often depicted as having thousands of heads, arms and feet. Fortunately you can accomplish a lot in this pose with just one head. Try to bring the feeling of being a warrior to the pose and see how it makes you feel.
Preparation and Pose Tips
There are actually a number of ways to get into Warrior 1 or virabhadrasana. Here is one of them. Start in Tadasana, mountain pose. Spread your lets out to the side as wide as you can without becoming unstable in your pose. Rotate your right foot 90 degrees to the right and your left foot about 45 degrees to the right. Simultaneously turn your hips, pelvis and upper body to the right. On an inhale raise your arms straight up over your head as you bend down on your right knee so that it moves to a point over your heel.
A couple of little pointers include: you can slightly rotate your back foot forward if it helps you with the stance. Keep your back foot totally flat on the floor. Your knee that is flexed should be over your leg in a right angle, but not going over your ankle. People have different places they like to hold their arms. Sometimes hands are placed together and sometimes arms are separated, but held up next to the ears. You can either look straight out or slightly upward with your head.
Benefits
You do a fair amount of full-body stretching with Virabhadrasana 1. Your leg, hips, stomach, back and arm muscles are all strengthened. It works and improves your sense of balance. In fact try getting into and holding the pose with your eyes closed once you are familiar with it.
Advanced or Partner
The challenge in the pose is to keep turning your torso so that it faces the same direction as your rotated foot. This gives you the best side-body and hip opening stretch. A partner can help with your body rotation by standing behind your back leg and placing a strap around your waist just above your groin. With a gentle pull they can assist with the rotation of your torso. You can also sink down into the bend, just make sure that your stance goes wide enough to keep the knee over but not past your heel. Also try to make sure that your knee is not sneaking inward, keep it out in a straight line from your body. A variation of the pose which you can come into from a lunge position keeps the back foot in a flexed lunge pose (see Virabhadrasana 1 MODIFIED). This offers more of a challenge for balance.
Notice that this is Warrior 1. There is also a Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2) and Warrior 3 pose, which are frequently done in a sequence. The best way to sequence is from Warrior 1 into Warrior 2 or from Warrior 1 into Warrior 3.
Chakra
Virabhadrasana 1 is a strong first chakra pose.
Precautions
If you have neck problems don’t look too far backwards. The pose is also not recommended if you have high blood pressure.
Timing
This pose is good for four to eight full breaths.
Recovery and Counterpose
You can stay in Warrior 1 for up to eight full breaths. Come out of the pose by reversing the sequence. Then, like many asanas, you need to do Warrior 1 on the other side of your body.
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