Asana Column: Virabhadrasana III (Warrior Pose III)

Find your star power by gathering energy in and radiating it out in this dynamic standing pose.

By Beryl Bender Birch

You may find breathing a little difficult in this position. With your belly pressed into the ground, your diaphragm doesn't have as much room to move on your inhalations as when you're sitting or standing. But the resistance from the floor and from the bandhas makes this pose an excellent way to train the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles (the muscles between the ribs that aid in respiration), so breathe fully and deeply on both your inhalations and exhalations. (Learn how to create more freedom in the diaphragm in "Take a Deep Breath,") Take five breaths in this position, then lower down to the floor. Repeat the pose several times. See if you can allow each inhalation to lift you a little higher, then hold the height you have gained as you exhale.

Warrior Consciousness

Now let's explore Virabhadrasana I. It's more difficult than Salabhasana—and more complex, because it is asymmetrical—but it also involves many of the same actions.

To come into Virabhadrasana I, step your feet about four feet apart, turning your right foot out 90 degrees. Turn your left foot in about 30 to 45 degrees, aligning the left heel with the right foot. As much as you can, square your hips—drawing your right hip back and your left hip forward—so that you face the same direction as your right foot. Make sure your hipbones are level with each other. Awareness of the position of your hipbones relative to each other will be critical for balance as well as good form when you move on to Virabhadrasana III, so developing the habit of being mindful about what's going on with your hips will help you down the road.

This is a good position in which to contact the contracting element of your star power, just as you did in Salabhasana. Lift your pelvic floor, engaging Mula Bandha, while drawing the lower part of your belly slightly in, activating Uddiyana Bandha. Also, as in Salabhasana, protect your lower back by drawing your tailbone gently but firmly down.

Now, focusing on the expansive action, extend out strongly through your left leg. Ground firmly through the heel and ball of the foot while lifting the arch. Keeping your torso perpendicular to the floor and making sure your right knee tracks directly toward your right foot, bend your right knee to 90 degrees (or as close to that as possible); at the same time, sweep your arms up over your head, bringing your palms together, and gaze up at your thumbs. Be mindful not to overly compress your neck; to avoid this, lengthen the back of the neck even as you lift the head to look up.

There's no doubt about it: Virabhadrasana is difficult and tricky, and achieving the full pose with proper alignment does not come easily for most of us. People with tight shoulders may find it hard to lift the arms straight up overhead; it's easy in this situation to overcompensate by leaning the torso back, causing too much bending and compression in the lower back. If your shoulders are tight, keep your hands parallel to each other and shoulder width apart instead of bringing your palms together.

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