One of the most empowering asanas (poses) out there, Warrior II finds itself in many yoga classes, and for good reason. This strong pose is both accessible and challenging, and like so many asanas, is beneficial for beginner yogis all the way up to masters. It enlivens the legs and makes us feel strong, and the reach of the arms opens the heart and strengthens the back. For me, the pose also has a strong psychological effect; the powerful drishti (focal point) inspires confidence and yet is calming; the shape of the arms and legs taps into some innate fierceness, and its very name “Warrior II”, and even the sanksrit name, “Virabhadrasana”, conjures a sense of power and grace.

Also like so many asanas, there is more to Warrior II than meets the eye. The trunk stands erect over strong legs, and the arms move away from the midline of the body, calling for action almost everywhere.

Here is a diagram of Warrior II, and the most fundamental actions of the different body parts (click on image to view larger):

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

The feet are very important to keeping the leg joints aligned and working safely in the pose. The front foot points directly ahead, and the back foot angles in about 15 degrees. The tendencies are to allow the front foot to turn in and back foot to turn out, both of which are dangerous for their respective knees.

Another misaligned tendency is to lean the trunk forward over the front knee. We want to have the spine long and vertical, and to help with that we can concentrate on reaching the back arm away from the trunk and tucking the back hip joint in.

Don’t worry if your front knee doesn’t bend this much! Focus on keeping your front shin bone vertical, and on descending the thigh bone as much as you can within your limits.

This is an asana that could be talked about for hours, but hopefully even this little “spotlight” sheds a bit of light onto this very important and commonly practiced posture!