Warrior 1 Pose

Virabhadrasana I

"Yoga is not about touching your toes. It’s about what you learn on the way down" - Judith Hanson Lasater

Warrior 1 Pose

HOW TO PRACTICE Warrior I Pose IN YOGA (Virabhadrasana I)

Benefits, How to Instructions, Modifications, and Common Alignment Mistakes for Warrior I Pose

 

Warrior I Pose (Virabhadrasana I)

Named after the fierce mythical warrior, Virabhadra, the Warrior postures (Sanskrit names: Virabhadrasana I, II and III) can be helpful for finding and using our inner resources, particularly when mindfully and skillfully executed. 

Warrior I Pose draws on strength to balance several complex and interacting forces. When the back foot is grounded and the leg is fully engaged, there is an energetic link created from the base to the crown. Many arm variations make this a versatile and useful pose for beginners to advanced yoga students alike.

Warrior yoga poses are great reminders of how to draw on our inner resilience and strength when life’s chaotic ups and downs make us feel like we might topple. Virabhadra I requires wise alignment, keying into our bodily sensations, and maintaining full and even breath—all extremely useful skills that we can take with us off the yoga mat and into our lives.

Benefits of Warrior I Pose

Warrior I Pose (Virabhadrasana I)

Virabhadrasana I is both grounding and energizing, a perfect example of the yogic concepts of Shtirra (firm foundation) and Sukha (lightness). Warrior 1 requires active engagement of the entire lower-body kinetic-chain which, in turn, allows the upper body to soar in strength and freedom.

Stability is created by both legs working actively but toward opposite ends. With the back leg primarily in extension and the front leg in flexion, the deep hip flexors, gluteals, abductors, hamstrings, quadriceps, soleus and intrinsic muscles of the foot are in play and active.

Warrior 1 is a gentle backbending yoga posture. With the spine in graceful extension and the torso in a slight rotation to maintain the hip stability, both the spinal extensors and flexors are activated, as are the oblique muscles and serratus. Via the breath, activating the core muscles should add to the stability and grounding of the yoga pose. Many arm variations bring the shoulder girdle into play, making Warrior 1 a total body strengthener and energizer.

How to do Warrior I Pose

Warrior I Pose (Virabhadrasana I)

  1. Start in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) by grounding down through all four corners of both feet. Connecting with the lower body is the foundation for this yoga pose. 
  2. Place the hands on the hips.
  3. Bend both knees and take a big step back with your left leg, stepping the foot straight back so that the feet are hips-width apart from left to right. Your stance from front to back should be about one leg’s length apart. If you have sacroiliac (SI) joint instability or dysfunction, practice with a narrower stance. 
  4. The back foot should be grounded down completely, pointing out at a 45-degree angle. Keep the outer edge of the foot pressed down.
  5. Allow the pelvis to orient itself naturally (i.e., don’t try to square your hips to the front). Trying to square the hips when one hip is flexed and the other one is extended can compromise the integrity of the hip and sacroiliac (SI) joints. It can also cause torquing in the knee of the back leg. For people with broader hips (i.e. most women), trying to square the hips to the front in this pose will be especially counterproductive.
  6. Make your buttocks heavy. Lengthen your tailbone down, while still retaining a neutral pelvis. Engage your lower belly in and up. 
  7. Without losing the grounding in your back leg, begin to bend your front knee into the pose. Only bend as far as you can without losing strength in your back leg and/or compressing your low back. Make sure your front knee is pointing straight forward, not moving to either side. Also check that your knee is aligned over your foot, not forward of it.
  8. On an inhalation, reach your arms up in line with your ears, fingertips to the ceiling, elbows straight.
  9. Pay attention to the following actions in Warrior I:
  • Remember not to turn your front knee out, keeping the side of your front hip firm. 
  • Press the whole triangle of your foot evenly into the ground (big toe mound, little toe mound, heel).
  • Let your buttocks be heavy, so your back ribs have a foundation to lift from.  
  • If possible, challenge yourself to bend the front knee a little deeper, aiming for a full 90-degree angle between your thigh and shin, unless you are practicing with a narrow stance. 
  • Bring the right side of your body even with the left. 
  • Rotate your right ribcage toward the inside of the left knee.

    10. Feel the rooting and rising in the pose as you breathe steadily. Stay for several breaths. 

    11. After a few breaths, place the hands back onto the hips and step the back foot forward to Tadasana. Close your eyes in Tadasana and feel the effects of the yoga pose.  

    12. Repeat on the other side.

 

Try Us Free! Get a Sample Pose Report to Experience the Full Benefits of the YogaU Pose Library.

Click Here

Check out our premium content

Video practice examples

For every yoga pose

Learn Common Alignment issues

And how to deal with them

Tips for beginners

Learn the best prep poses for each yoga pose

sign up now

Try Free for 7 Days

FAQs

Curious to learn more?

See all FAQs

FAQs

How to personalize my practice?

The Yoga 2.0 Pose Library helps you fit yoga poses to your individual body. It provides tools for you to customize yoga poses to your body's needs in order to gain the benefits of each yoga pose. 

When working your way through the Yoga 2.0 Pose Library, pay particular attention to the Yoga 2.0 Poses section as well as the Preparatory Poses under the Teaching Tips tab. This is where you will find some of the juiciest content in the Yoga 2.0 Pose Library!

What do I get When I sign Up?

When you register for a basic account, you get access to basic pose information about each yoga pose. You can also view three Pose Library blog articles or three yoga pose video tutorials each month. 

If you choose to register for a premium account, you will have access to our library of 1000s of unique Yoga 2.0 pose modifications, video tutorials for each yoga pose, preparatory yoga poses and common misalignments for every yoga pose, precautions, and more!

If you choose to subscribe to our premium Plus membership, you will also get access to our Yoga Sequence Builder, which allows you to create a yoga practice sequence with any and all of the yoga poses featured throughout the Yoga 2.0 Pose Library!

What are Yoga 2.0 Poses?

The idea behind Yoga 2.0 is that yoga poses should be individualized for every person. 

Yoga 2.0 Poses give you a foundation to begin designing your own customized yoga practice that suits your body's needs.

Choosing the right Yoga 2.0 Pose begins with your relationship with your body and making healthy choices that respect your personal boundaries. 

Is this for beginners too?

The Yoga 2.0 Pose Library is for every body! 

Whether you are a beginner or already far along on your yoga journey, the Yoga 2.0 Pose Library has something for everyone. 

Are you looking for creative, fun ways to modify yoga poses? Check out our collection of Yoga 2.0 Poses, which features 1000s of Yoga Pose Modifications. 

Looking to expand your practice or teaching? The Teaching Tips and Deepen the Pose sections provide fun ways to challenge your yoga practice as well as practical tips for learning and teaching new yoga poses. 

Can't find a certain pose

Our Yoga 2.0 Pose Library is an ever-expanding library. 

We will be adding new yoga poses over time - keep checking back for our latest yoga poses!

Share

Check out our Mastery content!

Get access to all the Pose Library has to offer by signing up for our Mastery membership.

Includes Pose Precautions and special access to our state of the art Yoga Sequence Builder.

 

View options

Sorry, You have reached your
monthly limit of views

To access, join us for a free 7-day membership trial to support expanding the Pose Library resources to the yoga community.

Sign up for a FREE 7-day trial

You need a free account to do this

Register for a free account to save your Favorite Poses! You can return to them again and again!

Click below to join us!

Simply click below to register and join us. Your Favorite Poses will appear in your private Dashboard section of the site.

Get your free account

Login

Check out our premium content

Get access to all the Pose Library has to offer by signing up for one of our premium memberships.

 

1000s of pose modifications & more!

The Yoga 2.0 Pose Library features 1000s of yoga pose modifications, video tutorials, teaching and practice tips, best prep poses, and common alignment issues for every yoga pose.

 

View options