Warrior Poses Sequence

Begin the sequence in mountain pose. Taking several breaths in mountain is a good way to bring the body to a neutral position and begin to tune in to your alignment. On the inhales, try rolling the shoulders open so your palms turn up, which helps bring your shoulder blades onto your back.

Step your left foot toward the back of your mat to come into warrior I. Bring the left heel to the floor and turn the left toes out to about a 45-degree angle. Begin to bend the right knee over the right ankle. You may need to adjust the length of your stance (front to back). You can also widen your stance (side to side) for greater stability. Make sure to keep the position of your hips that same as it was in mountain pose, that is, hips pointing forward. On an inhale, bring your arms up over your head. The arm position can vary according to the mobility in your shoulders. The classic position is with the palms touching over head, but you may choose to keep the palms separated at shoulder’s distance apart or even bend at the elbows and open your arms like a cactus. A subtle backbend opens the heart and the gaze comes up to the fingertips.

Rise up and release your arms. Let the right arm come forward and the left arm back for warrior II. You may lengthen your stance as you open the hips. Make sure that your right knee is still deeply bent over the right ankle. There is a tendency for the right knee to creep toward the left, so check that you can still see your right toes on the inside of your right knee. Engage the quads and sink the hips a little lower.

To come into reverse warrior, raise your right arm overhead and let your left arm slide down the left leg. Try to keep a light touch on the left leg instead of resting all your weight there. The front knee stays deep as the heart opens into a backbend.

Release the right arm by your side and and pivot onto the ball of your left foot in preparation for warrior III. Your hips return to the square warrior I position. Straighten your right leg as you lift the left foot from the floor. Your upper body and lifted left leg come parallel to the floor. The choice of arm variation is up to you. You can keep the arms straight by your sides or swing them forward in line with the torso.

After you have stayed for your intended number of breaths, simply drop the left foot next to your right and come back up to stand in mountain pose. Stay here for several breaths to regain your alignment. It is also interesting to notice the differences between the two sides of the body before moving on to do the sequence on the other side.