pose no : 17
Warrior III pose
- BENEFITS
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION
- MODIFICATION AND VARIATION
- COMMON MISTAKE
- PRECAUTIONS
- TRY IT OUT
Benefits of Warrior III pose
- Relieves stiffness in the neck, shoulders and back.
- Reduce stubborn fat from hips.
- Useful for people suffering from sciatica.
- Enhances blood circulation in the body.
- Tones and strengthens knees, thighs and ankles.
- Stimulates abdominal organs and aids digestion.
- Builds stamina; develops a sense of balance and coordination.
Step by Step instruction of warrior III pose:
- Start in warrior I on the right side. From mountain pose (Tadasana), enter into warrior I. Face your right toes forward and your left toes toward the left corner of the mat. Place your hands on your hips and adjust your legs. Your hips should face the front of the mat as much as possible in a neutral position.On an inhalation, lift your hands above your head. Roll your shoulder blades back and down and turn your palms in to face each other.
- Breathing deeply, sink deeper into the front knee, firm up your back leg, and set your gaze directly in front of you. Engage your core to support your lower back and reach the tailbone towards the ground. Open up through the chest and come into a slight backbend. If your neck allows, look up towards your hands. Stay here for a few breaths.
- Bring your palms together and begin to lean forward. With your arms above your head, bring your palms together and lean your upper body onto your right thigh. Get ready to lift your back leg.
- Lift the left leg off the floor. On an inhale, keep the entire left leg straight and strong and lift it off the floor behind you. Begin to hinge forward in the upper body.
- Keep the body, arms, and lifted leg parallel to the floor. As you come down, your arms, upper body, and lifted leg should be parallel to the floor. Engage the abdominal muscles and breathe. Your left hip will naturally lift. Try to square your hips to the floor by consciously pointing it down.
- Flex the toes, engage the standing legs and arms. Flex the left foot and remember to engage the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles of your standing right leg
- Fix your gaze, hold, and breathe. Look directly down, about a foot in front of your right foot, so the back of your neck is a long, natural extension of your spine. Keep your shoulder blades back and down, not up by your ears. Hold here and breathe for five to 15 breaths, re-engaging the limbs when you feel yourself slumping.
- Lower back down into warrior I. Slowly lower back into warrior I or a high lunge position. From there, stand at the top of your mat in mountain pose and take a few resting breaths.
- Practice on the other side. Enter warrior I on the left side, and follow the above instructions to practice warrior III to give this side equal attention, time, and energy. Note the difference between both sides of the body without judgment as you are harmonizing your ability to balance on both sides by practicing warrior III.
Modification and Variation of Warrior III pose
- Airplane pose arms. Instead of raising your arms overhead, bring them back and down by your sides, palms facing up. …
- Hands at heart center. For another arm variation, bring your hands to your heart while performing warrior III. …
- Use a wall. Stand in front of the wall, at an arms-length distance
Common Mistake of Warrior III pose
- Bending your front knee too far forward. Your front knee should be bent at a roughly 90-degree angle.
- Turning your back heel out too far.
- Overarching your lower back.
- Keeping your shoulders tense but your arms slack.
Precaution
Avoid practising the yoga pose if you have: high blood pressure. balance difficulties. hip, knee, ankle, back or shoulder injury.
