Ways of the Warrior

There are many ways to cultivate quiet strength in Virabhadrasana I. Here, teachers of five yoga styles reveal the nuances of Warrior Pose I.

By Hillari Dowdle

Here's a story every yogi should know: Once upon a time there was a powerful king named Daksha. When his daughter—who went by the name Uma or Sati or just plain Shakti—fell in love with and married the lord of universal consciousness, Shiva, let's just say Daksha wasn't exactly thrilled.

To make his feelings about his loathed son-in-law clear, Daksha threw a party and invited everyone but Shiva. Whereas Shiva could have cared less about the social snub—being the lord of consciousness and all, he was able to rise above it—Sati was incensed. So angry was she that she burst into flames (or threw herself into a fire, depending on which ancient text you read) and died.

Devastated, Shiva threw one of his dreadlocks down to the earth to create the warrior demon Virabhadra. At Shiva's direction, Virabhadra violently stormed Daksha's party, cut off the king's head, and trampled on Indra, the god of war.

The scene was total havoc. For anyone who's ever sweated and groaned their way through Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), it may come as no surprise that the asana was inspired by cosmic chaos, death, and destruction. Many yogis, especially beginners, feel genuinely embattled by its complexity: its persistent tug-of-war between extension and compression, twist and backbend, internal and external rotation, and strength and flexibility.

In other ways, though, the story of Virabhadrasana is utterly ironic. "Given that the ideal of yoga is ahimsa, or 'nonharming,' isn't it strange that we would practice a pose celebrating a warrior who killed a bunch of people?" asks Richard Rosen, a contributing editor to Yoga Journal and the director of Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, California.

To answer that question, you have to take a look at the pose's metaphorical meaning—as is nearly always the case when considering Indian mythical lore. "The yogi is really a warrior against his own ignorance," Rosen says. "I speculate that Virabhadrasana I is about rising up out of your own limitations."

Tim Miller, director of San Diego's Ashtanga Yoga Center, agrees. "Virabhadrasana's a humbling posture," he says. "If you attempt to stay in it for any length of time, you'll confront your own bodily, emotional, or mental weaknesses. Whatever limitations you have, the pose will reveal them so that they can be addressed."

When viewed this way, practicing Warrior I can be seen as fighting the good fight. According to Rosen, the pose's form is the physical representation of the monster Virabhadra ascending from the ground at Shiva's feet, righteous and strong. Take the posture with understanding and intention, and you are just that.

The pose, in other words, is about the triumph of spirit, a universal theme in yoga. Like much of asana, the pose comes in many variations. Though the details differ from style to style and yoga class to yoga class, the energy remains the same. Here, five celebrated teachers from different traditions (Anusara, Ashtanga, Kripalu, Iyengar, and Viniyoga—with apologies for others we had to leave out) share their own instructions and inspiration to help you deepen your understanding of Virabhadrasana I so that you can access the power of the warrior within you.

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