ASANA: how to warrior III - tips and modifications
Traditional warrior III
What the myth behind Warrior III?
A number of texts in Indian literature (the puranas) tell the legend of Virabhadra, the heroic or brave warrior, who gives his name to the postures of the warrior (virabhadrasana in Sanskrit).
According to the myth, Virabhadra is born from the hair of Shiva, the god of transformation and creation, who forms a kind of trinity with Vishnu and Brahma.
Shiva gives birth to the warrior after an affront: Daksha's daughter, Sati, falls in love with Shiva and decides to marry him, despite her father's refusal. For revenge and out of pride, Daksha organizes a great sacrifice where he invites neither his daughter nor Shiva. Sati goes to the ceremony anyway and ends up sacrificing herself. When Sati dies in the flames, Shiva tears off a hair which turns into Virabhadra who will restore order by cutting off the heads of the sacrifice participants and Daksha. Daksha will live, but with the head of a goat.
The different poses of the warrior can be seen as the different stages of the action of Virabhadra. Warrior 3 - the last variation - represents him while using his sword to slice the ego of Daksha (his head) which led to the death of his daughter.
Thus, the warrior poses allow you to overcome your ego by remaining anchored and by cultivating your righteousness, your courage and your humility. The warrior is a being who knows himself in particular thanks to the practice of yoga.
Virabhadrasana III: the benefits of the warrior 3 pose
Warrior 3 is a balanced pose that highlights your qualities of endurance and focus and will help you cultivate your humility as well as your inner calm.
This is a demanding pose both for your body, because it requires activating muscles that you don't use a lot, and your mind, which will tend to push you to go out of the pose.
On the physical level, it will in particular:
strengthen your ankles, legs, hips, back and arms
improve your proprioception and stability
correct any imbalances between your left and right sides
On a mental level, it will:
improve your concentration
improve your resistance to external events
improve your self-confidence
improve your inner calm
Tips for practicing the virabhadrasana 3
In warrior 3, you balance on one leg while the rest of the body forms a kind of horizontal plank: the back leg is stretched parallel to the ground at the same height as the hip, the upper body is also parallel to the floor and the arms are outstretched in line with the shoulders.
Here are some additional tips for practicing Warrior 3:
It is a balancing pose. This means that you have to anchor yourself well in the earth with your standing foot and engage your standing leg. The best way to engage your leg muscles is to firmly press your entire foot into the ground.
Often, we want to raise the back leg very high, but ideally the hips remain squared so that the pelvis is symmetrical. It is therefore best to keep the back leg at the same height as the pelvis and point the knee towards the ground so that the hips face the mat.
The core and the back muscles are important to maintain this pose. A good method to activate them is to stretch as far as possible from the head to the lifted foot.
Some people stare forward, but I don't feel very comfortable in the back of my neck when I do it. I therefore prefer to lengthen the neck in line with the rest of my spine. I gaze towards the ground (but not towards my standing foot, otherwise I will fall!). The important thing is to keep your gaze on a point to help the focus of the mind.
As for the position of the arms, traditionally they are outstretched in line with the torso palms touching. For lots of students, it is not comfortable, especially if you tend to have lower back pain or if you feel stuck in your shoulders. So, you can modify with your arms shoulder-width apart or your hands in prayer in front of the chest or your arms alongside the body with the hands towards the hips. In terms of balance, what can help is putting your arms out to the sides like the wings of an airplane and imagining that you are leaning on friends who are on either side to support you.
Bonus tip: for me, having the foot flex helps me maintain my balance more easily.
And finally, breathing plays a key role in endurance and being able to maintain this pose for as long as possible. Try to breathe comfortably with inhales and exhales of equal length and stay focused on the air coming in and out of your nose.
What if you're struggling with your balance in Warrior 3 pose?
No problem! There is always a solution to be able to practice this pose, even without a top balance:
Lean on a chair, a brick, a wall or a friend;)
Leave the tips of your toes on the floor
Bend the knee of the standing leg a little
What if you want to challenge your balance a little more in warrior 3?
Try to practice virabhadrasana III on a block or a book.
Warrior III standing on a block
Want to practice warrior III “live”?
I've put together a little video for you so you can practice everything that has just been said. Please feel free to follow the warrior 3 tutorial below, it's free!
10 minutes warrior III tutorial
The contraindications for warrior III?
If you have weaknesses in the ankles, knees or hips, practice even more consciously without forcing.
As mentioned above, if you have lower back or shoulder pain, feel free to change the position of the arms.
Be careful if you have high blood pressure.
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