Intrinsic Yoga with Anita Hartman

Holidays are a hectic time. With parties to attend, presents to wrap and meals to prepare your body will need to be strong to withstand this fast pace. So I can’t think of a better time in the following Yoga moment than to describe the Warrior pose, Virabhadrasana. However, before I do I thought you might enjoy reading a tale of the Warrior pose’s genesis.

In Hindu lore, the powerful priest named Daksha had a spectacular sacrifice and invited everyone-except his youngest daughter Sati and her good-for-nothing yogi husband, Shiva, whom Daksha despised (even though Shiva was the supreme ruler of the universe). Sati was livid. In one version of the story Sati stormed over to the sacrificial fire and threw herself in to the fire to teach her father a lesson; in another version, her anger was so intense that she spontaneously combusted. Whatever the cause of her emollition; Shiva was devastated by his beloved’s death and went berserk. Shiva yanked out a tuft of his hair and beat it into the ground and up popped a nightmarish creature with a thousand heads, feet, eyes, and hands. The creature also had terrible fangs and was armed. This creature was named Virabhadra (blessed hero or the English version, Warrior.) Shiva sent Virabhadra and an army of demons to pay Daksha a visit. Miraculously, Shiva’s wife, Sati, returned to life. Daksha was suitably beaten and taught humility. He did; however, lose his head but wound up with a goats head as a replacement.

So now when you practice your warrior pose, challenge yourself to become the fierce Virabhadra and stand firm your ground knowing that you are strong and invincible.

“Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is and endless challenge and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges.” – Carlos Castaneda

Warrior I and II poses are excellent ways for us to strengthen our connection to the grounding energy of the earth.

To begin Warrior I pose: Stand in mountain pose. Inhale and step the feet wide apart with the left leg forward and the right leg back (about three to four feet) and bring your hands to your hips. Keep the left leg and foot pointing forward. Look and see that the heel of the right foot is in line with the heel of the left foot. Turn the right foot to point to the right side of your body approximately 45 degrees. Feel the left hip pulling back to be parallel with the right hip, now square your shoulders forward and lift your arms over head. Looking between the hands or up at the thumbs (this depends if your hands are open and closed), take a deep breath. Now exhale and bend your left knee, sinking down to a ninety degree angle. Your bent knee should be directly over the ankle hinge. Let the tailbone drop down toward the floor to help in opening the front of the hips, the pelvic abdomen and front of the right thigh. This pose will also create space in the lumbar spine and help to lengthen the lower back. Take a minimum of five breaths.

For Warrior II pose, keep the same feet position as Warrior I pose and square the hips to the right (the hips are now like headlights pointing to the right side). Bring the left arm forward and down to shoulder height and the right arm back and down to shoulder height. Feel an opposition as the arms pull away from one another. Turn your head forward to gaze on the middle finger of the left hand. Imagine you have balloons tied to your wrists that are effortlessly lifting your arms up.

Keep your left thigh parallel to the floor and make sure that the knee is directly above the ankle. Press the left knee open so you can see your big toe. Keep the outer edge of your back right foot pressing firmly into the ground and keep the back leg strong and straight. Take five deep breaths.

Now repeat the entire sequence placing the right leg forward and the left leg back.

It takes strength to feel a friend’s pain.
It takes courage to feel your own pain.

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” – Author Unknown