Yoga for the Moon Phases - Warrior I and Humble Warrior Poses

Warrior I Pose

Warrior I pose, or Virabhadrasana I in Sanskrit, is a forward looking and grounded position, from where we can move into several other poses and flows. So let’s start here and look at Humble Warrior in a moment.

This classic pose allows us to feel grounded, with our feet firmly planted, giving us stability, but with an outward-looking feeling of having somewhere to go to.  Coupled with the quiet steadiness, there can be amazing feelings of strength and purpose, and, of course, the knowledge that from here we can move forwards in many ways. It is always a good position to helps us find strength and control, and to find (or re-find) our breath and focus.

Warrior I Pose

Humble Warrior Pose

This lovely development of the starting Warrior I pose gives a sense of flow and movement as the head and body come down. Once in Humble Warrior (Baddha Virabhadrasana) we experience an inversion where the head is lower than the heart, and we are facing inward and downward, so a sense of quiet and introspection may be found. The movement down, and of course ultimately back up again, can feel really soothing, but can also be a challenge to the balance. The pose itself involves a combination of balance and a forward bend, mixing the need for stability in the lower body, and flexibility at the hips and potentially shoulders too.

Humble Warrior Pose

The physical benefits of these linked poses can include both stretching and strengthening the muscles in the legs (quads, hamstrings and calves), back, abdomen, the glutes and other muscles in the hips and pelvis, as well as the arms and shoulders. They can increase flexibility and range of motion in the hips, and improve balance, as well as increasing awareness of the breath. The inversion in Humble Warrior will stimulate the circulation, and the motion, breath and forward fold can help with releasing stress and finding calm.

How to find Warrior I pose

From standing in Mountain pose, keep the hips and pelvis square to the front as you step one foot forward, and one foot back, let’s say the right foot forward as in the photos. If you are at the back of the mat the step forward is straightforward, but if you are at the front of the mat, there can be a tendency to look behind you and thereby twist the pelvis open to the side. Try to avoid doing this, by checking the space behind you is clear first, and then keeping face, shoulders and hips all facing forward as you simply step the left foot back. The back (left) foot will naturally angle forward and out, around 40-60º which is perfect. If the hips aren’t square to the front, try moving the back foot until they are – forward, backward, side to side or change the angle of the foot on the ground – they will all make subtle changes to the way the pelvis faces.

Aim to anchor all four corners of the back foot into the ground and really try to pull up through the inside instep of the back foot, rooting down and back with the outside edge of that back foot. The front (right) foot should face straight forward. The back leg is straight, pulling up at the back knee, and keeping the back heel down to the mat, whilst the front knee is bent. At this point double check that the front knee stays over the front ankle rather than the toes. If the knee has moved forward over the toes and you can’t see your big toe then wriggle that front foot forward, so the bones in the shin fully support your knee in this pose.

Once the feet, legs and hips are stable, engage the tummy muscles to help support the back, and lift the arms straight up. You can leave the palms apart facing inwards, or bring the hands together into prayer, whichever feels right for your shoulders so you don’t feel hunched up. Draw the shoulder blades together and down the back to help lift and open the chest, and to keep the shoulders away from the ears.  The gaze, or Drishti, is out and up ahead.

Hands together option

How to find Humble Warrior pose

From Warrior I position, keep the feet and legs exactly as they are, and hinge forward from the hips. Once you are folded as far as the hips allow, then let the back curl over and the head come down inside the front leg. The front knee remains bent, the back leg stays straight and the back heel stays anchored on the floor. Pushing down through that back heel can really help with stability.  

The arms sweep forwards and down as you fold forward, and as the body comes all the way down they can keep flowing behind and up as far as the shoulders allow, helping to keep the chest open. Release the muscles in the neck so the head releases over.

To complete the flow and move on, let the arms sweep down again and forward and up to the sky, as you engage the abdominal and lower back muscles to bring the body back up again. Once upright again, double check the legs – back straight, front bent, and make sure the front ankle is still under the front knee – if it isn’t, move the foot until it is.

Make sure you take the poses on the other side, bringing the left foot to the front this time.

Other Options 

If you are coming into Warrior I from Downward-Facing Dog pose then a commonly used transition is to raise the leg up and behind into Three Legged Dog pose before bringing it forward and through to step onto it. So in this instance, you would raise the right leg first, and then bend the knee deeply as you bring the right foot through to the front between the hands. Wriggle the foot far enough forward to feel stable and then sweep the hands forward off the mat and up to Warrior I position. Always check the front foot and knee alignment when you have made this transition, as often the knee comes too far forward over the front toes in making the step through.

The main variation of this pose involves the arms. From the classic Warrior I stance let the arms come down to the sides, then clasp the hands together behind the back, noting which thumb is on top. Keep the hands clasped as you fold forward into Humble Warrior. This can be more intense on the shoulder, so is only an option if the shoulders are happy with it. When you take this on the other side, clasp the hands with the other thumb on top. It may well feel weird at first, but persevere and you’ll get used to it!

Humble Warrior with clasped hands

If you are starting from a seated position, turn sideways (right) on the chair and place a block on the floor in front of the chair. The right thigh supports you on the chair whilst the left knee comes down to the block. The body, shoulders, hips and pelvis face to the side of the chair. The toes of the left foot can be tucked under for additional support and stability if that works for you. The right hand stays on the chair back for support.

The seated Humble Warrior pose is taken by folding in the same way, from the hips initially and then allowing the back to curve over and the head to release. Leave the (right) hand on the chair back for support, taking the left arm behind as in the standing version.

Chair-based variation of Warrior I

Chair-based variation of Humble Warrior

How to breathe in the pose

The breath is a beautiful and integral part of our yoga, and this becomes obvious with these two poses. As you raise the arms into Warrior I the natural breath is an inhale, so fully expand the lungs and enjoy the breath here. As you fold forward into Humble Warrior exhale deeply – this should feel natural as the front body is compressed helping to expel the air. You may want to discover the joy of slowly flowing between the two poses, perhaps 3 or 5 times, breathing in in Warrior I and out as you fold into Humble Warrior. Inhale as you come back up to Warrior I and exhale as you hinge back down again. Aaahhhhhh – fantastic!

Moving on

Of course, we should take these poses on both sides, but then there are lots of options to take next. We can slide the back foot further back and release the back heel, coming maybe into Crescent Moon Lunge or perhaps into Lizard. We could sweep the arms down as though going into Humble Warrior but place the hands down on the floor and step back to Downward-Facing Dog, perhaps coming through a Three Legged Dog en route. Or we could take the arms forward and down and step forward into a standing forward fold . We could also simply step forward and find stability and stillness in Mountain pose. There are other options too – what does your body feel it needs today? 💜

Make sure you always look after yourself when doing yoga.

It’s important to always listen to your body and only work within your personal limitations. You are fully responsible for your own safety and wellbeing. Make sure your surroundings and your practices are safe. Do not attempt to take a physical posture that is outside of the scope of your practice. If you have any specific medical conditions, injuries, surgeries or are pregnant you should check with your GP or appropriate medical professional before starting any exercise. Keep in mind that yoga might be challenging at times, but it should never be painful. You must stop if you experience any pain, and you should consult your GP if you experience anything untoward such as dizziness or feeling faint. Rest or leave anything out that you need to avoid or that does not feel right.

Any questions? I can be contacted at louise@essentialyoga.uk and I’ll see you again soon 😊