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Yoga is often considered to be a soft and relaxing practice. It can, however, leave you energized and elated. The Asanas or “physical postures”, release tension and liberate physical energy, while employing proper yogic breathing, leaves you feeling calm and refreshed. The meditative state that comes from journeying inside empowers you as you gain new insights into yourself. Usually it is the culmination of an entire series of postures that has you feeling buoyant as you’ve stretched and toned from head to toe. Some postures allow you to take them as an entity in themselves and you are able to see your mood lifting as you practice.

“Warrior I” or Virabhadrasana I, is a classic example of a grounding posture that improves both balance and concentration. Practicing “Warrior I” allows you to unleash a stronger, more powerful you. I have investigated the origins of this posture and have found a definition describes it perfectly: “What is being commemorated in this pose’s name and held up as an ideal for all practitioners, is the ‘spiritual warrior’, who bravely does battle with the universal enemy, self-ignorance, the ultimate source of all suffering.”

Warrior I / Virabhadrasana I

How to do it

Step your feet out about 3-4 feet apart into a lunge, turning your back foot to a 45 degree angle. Keep your front foot facing forward, turning your body to face forward, squaring your hips off to the front. Your front heel should be in line with the instep of your back foot.

Bend your front knee to a 90 degree angle, sinking your hips. You want your knee to be directly above your ankle.

Stretch your arms up so your fingers are continually reaching for the sky, while simultaneously pulling your shoulders down. Turn your hands to face each other. Now look up and gaze between your hands.

While breathing lift your chest and spread your toes, grounding yourself down into the floor, breathe in and extend your chest up.

From this posture you should feel a stretch in the calf of your bent leg.

Stay here and breathe. Inhale and exhale to a count of 5 before coming out of the posture and switching sides.

The finer points

* Check that your thigh is at a right angle to your shin without allowing your knee to go past your toes. If your alignment isn’t right you’ll want to widen or shorten your stance to correct it. Use a mirror or a friend to check your alignment.

* As you inhale expand your chest forward, raising your sternum area. Each time you exhale, sink your hips a little lower.

* If you’d like to take the pose further, bring your hands together as if you are praying, but with your arms in the air. Your upper arms should be behind your ears so they’re out of your field of view. Continue to pull your shoulders down and back. Now gently lean into a deeper back bend.

* Yogic breathing is always done through the nose. As you get comfortable in the posture you should take a minute to steady your breath, breathing deeply through the nose. Begin to follow the path of your inhalation as you fill your chest, raising your ribcage and expanding your abdomen. As you exhale empty the abdomen, lower your ribcage and empty your lungs. Repeat this for each side of virabhadrasana I.

* Your heel keeps coming off the ground is perfectly natural. It can be countered by staggering your heels

Adjustments

If you have any leg, neck or shoulder injuries you’ll want to be careful. Yoga is not a competitive activity and at no point should you be experiencing pain or discomfort. Listen to your body and exercise compassion at all times.

* Instead of bringing your arms up overhead you can bring your hands into prayer position at your heart’s centre.

* If it’s uncomfortable to look up to your hands keep your neck long and gaze to the tip of your nose.

* If you feel any pain in your leg or knee you should ease off and not go so deep into the posture.

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