Lateral Standing Poses: Warrior 2

By Janine L. Agoglia

This will be the first in a series of posts discussing proper alignment in lateral standing poses (standing poses facing to the side). All of these poses have a similar foundation and use similar alignment principles, so each subsequent post will build on this one. Hopefully you will feel the connections in your yoga practice.

Warrior 2/ Virbhadrasana II

Begin by standing with your feet a little wider than a leg length apart. Rotate your right foot 90 degrees to the right, and rotate your left foot in the same direction, but only about 10-15 degrees. Your right knee should be aiming forward toward your 2nd and 3rd toes. Bend your right knee to stack it over your right ankle. You should be able to see your big toe to the left of your right knee; if you see your small toes on the right side, press your knee to the right until the big toe is visible. This alignment of the knee is most important. If the knee folds in to the left, it will eventually lead to strain, pain and injury. Many people practice this pose with the incorrect assumption that their hips need to face flat to the side. Unfortunately, because as humans we are not built with 180 degree external rotation, we can't do that without having a negative impact on the knee. Give the knee priority by keeping the right shin perpendicular to the floor, then rotate the hips open the the left as far as they will go without disturbing the knee; they will end up facing on a diagonal. Use your Glutes (especially the "outer hip" muscles). Lastly the pelvis should be level with regard to the floor; each hip is the same distance from the floor and the shoulders should stack directly over the hips. The tendency is to lean over your right thigh when you bend the knee; resist that tendency in order to keep the torso vertical. This will also help you distribute the weight evenly between the two feet so that the front leg doesn't have to do all the work.

Now that the lower body is established we can work on the upper body. The arms should be parallel to the floor, level with your shoulders. Think about pressing your arms down to horizontal rather than lifting them up, that way you engage your Latissimus Dorsi (Lats) rather than the Trapezius  (Traps) muscles. To feel your Lats, press your shoulder blades downward toward your waist. To feel your Traps, shrug your shoulders. People tend to hold tension in their Traps in general, and you don't need to encourage that while practicing yoga. The more you drop the shoulder blades downward, the less tension you will feel in your neck. Once you press your shoulder blades downward, try to reach them outward toward your fingertips. It should feel like you have giant wings expanding outward from your upper back.

Gaze over your right 3rd finger and breathe. Then try it to the other side.

Warrior 2 is the foundation pose for Side Angle, Side Crescent (Reverse Warrior) and Triangle pose, as well as Half Moon. Once you understand Warrior 2, all of these other poses will make more sense, both intellectually and physically.

Janine L. Agoglia has been teaching Vinyasa yoga since 1998. Her yoga journey started in 1995 with Iyengar Yoga and she stumbled upon Vinyasa yoga in 1997. The combination of breath with proper body alignment is what fuels Janine's practice and the classes that she teaches. She believes that yoga should be safe as well as challenging, creative and fun. She always emphasizes proper alignment within the flow, as well as focus, breath and humor to help students find the balance between strength and ease. Deepening one’s physical awareness helps one strengthen his/her spiritual awareness and mind-body connection. Janine loves being able to help people deepen their own practices, finding yoga in everyday life, on and off the mat. Her DVD, “Vinyasa Yoga for Regular People” is available for purchase at the front desk at Lumina Mind Body Studios in Wayland, MA.

In addition to being the Director of Yoga and teaching yoga classes at Lumina Mind Body Studios.   Janine is also a Licensed Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist who practices at Integrative Therapeutics in Natick, MA.

To contact Janine, please email acuyogamama@hotmail.com or visit her website, www.acuyogamama.com.