<a href="http://www.theyogasanctuary.biz/ys/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/virabhrasana-I.jpg"><img src="http://www.theyogasanctuary.biz/ys/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/virabhrasana-I-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="virabhrasana I" width="300" height="225" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1015" /></a>Warrior I Pose
by Jennifer Arnold
 
virabhadra = a legendary warrior from Indian mythology
asana = pose or posture
I = 1 - first in a series of postures

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<strong>instructions:</strong>
1.Stand with your feet together at the top of your mat.  Step your left foot back about 4' and strongly root the outer edge of your left foot into the ground.    
 
2. With your hands on your hips, be sure that your torso and hip points are squared to the short edge of your mat; your left hip will come forward as your right hip draws back.  Keep your legs strong and feel your torso lifting up from that strength.   

3. Inhale and actively stretch your arms up so that the upper arms are alongside your ears and the palms face each other. 

4. Exhale and bend your right knee so that it stacks directly on top of the right ankle and is centered over the foot.  Hold for several breaths and reverse. 


<strong>tips:</strong>
1. Often when the forward knee bends, the back leg sags and becomes limp. Be sure to keep the back leg strong and engaged, rooting through the heel and stretching all the way up through the spine.   

 
2.  If you are having a hard time keeping your torso and hip points squared to the short edge of your mat, turn your back toes in to face forward a bit more. That will help you to turn completely toward the front leg. 
 
<strong>benefits: </strong>
Strengthens and stretches the legs; opens the hips; improves upper back and shoulder flexibility; creates stability, strength, and balance. Patricia Walden writes, "Women feel powerful and strong in this pose. It's great for relieving joint stiffness in older women." 