Warrior II

Warrior II (Virabadhrasana II) is a lunge pose where the torso turns towards the frontal plane and the arms are raised sideways, parallel to the ground. The gaze is cast over the leading hand.

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Step by step

• To come into Warrior II pose, start in Mountain pose at the top of your mat and take a big step back with your left leg, toes pointing slightly in.
  
• Press the four corners of your feet down, and firm your legs up.
• As you inhale, raise your arms parallel to the floor, keeping your shoulders down and your neck long.
• As you exhale, bend your right knee, taking your knee over your ankle, but no further than that. Find a vertical shin. Adjust the position of your feet and legs to find stability in the pose.
• Roll the top of your leading thigh out and down down towards the floor. Press down through your big toe of your leading foot to balance that action.
• Press the top of your back thigh back, and ground the outer edge of your back foot into the floor.
• Draw your lower belly in and up and grow taller through your central thread.
  
• Extend through your collarbones and fingertips.
  
• Draw your chin slightly in and back, to align your neck with your spine. Cast your gaze over your leading hand.
• Stay in this pose for 5 breaths.
  
• To come out of the pose,  press into your feet and straighten your legs. Switch the orientation of your feet and repeat on the other side.

Beginners’ tips

• To prevent the front knee from collapsing inwards, wrap the muscles around the outer hip to externally rotate the thigh.
• To prevent the ribs from flaring out, engage the core and draw the tailbone down towards the mat ~ keep the lower back long.

Benefits of Warrior II Pose

• Opens the hips and shoulders.
• Releases the inner thighs, groin, and chest.
• Strengthens the legs, abs, and arms.
  
  

Watch out for...

• Gently draw your shoulder blades together, to keep your chest open.
• Be aware of the opposite movements of the thigh bones in each leg: the front leg externally rotates (engage your outer thigh muscles to stabilize the leg) – the back leg internally rotates (engage your inner thigh muscles to stabilize the leg).

Variations

• Experiment with moving in and out of Warrior II:
  ​Straighten the front leg and raise your arms above your head, as you inhale. Bend the front leg again and lower your arms parallel to the floor, as you exhale. Try it for 5 to 10 rounds of breath.

Related poses

• Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
• Half-Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
• Reverse Warrior Pose (Viparita Virabhadrasana)