This pose strengthens the arms, shoulders, thighs and back muscles, all in one go. This pose is named after Veerabhadra, a fierce warrior, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. The story of the warrior Veerabhadra, as all stories from Upanishads, has a moral that adds value to our life.
Veera – vigorous, warrior, courageous; Bhadra – good, auspicious; Asana – Posture
The asana is pronounced as Vee- Ra- Bha- Dra-aasana.
How to do Virabhadrasana
Veerabhadrasana or Virabhadrasana is one of the most graceful yoga postures and it adds beauty and grace to one’s yoga practice.
- Stand straight with your legs wide apart by a distance of at least 3-4 feet.
- Turn your right foot out by 90 degrees and left foot in by about 15 degrees.
- Checkpoint: Is the heel of the right foot aligned to the center of the left foot?
- Lift both arms sideways to shoulder height with your palms facing upwards.
- Checkpoint: Are your arms parallel to the ground?
- Breathing out, bend your right knee.
- Checkpoint: Are your right knee and right ankle forming a straight line? Ensure that your knee does not overshoot the ankle.
- Turn your head and look to your right.
- As you settle down in the yoga posture stretch your arms further.
- Make a gentle effort to push your pelvis down. Hold the yoga posture with the determination of a warrior. Smile like a happy smiling warrior. Keep breathing as you go down.
- Breathing in, come up.
- Breathing out, bring your hands down from the sides.
- Repeat the yoga posture for the left side (turn your left foot out by 90 degrees and turn the right foot in by about 15 degrees).
Benefits
- Strengthens and tones the arms, legs and lower back.
- Improves balance in the body, helps increase stamina.
- Beneficial for those with sedentary or deskbound jobs.
- Extremely beneficial in case of frozen shoulders.
- Releases stress in the shoulders very effectively in a short span of time.
- Brings auspiciousness, courage, grace and peace.
Contraindications
- Practice Warrior Pose (Veerabhadrasana) only after consulting your doctor if you have experienced spinal disorders recently or just recovered from a chronic illness.
- High blood pressure patients should avoid this posture.
- Veerabhadrasana especially benefits pregnant ladies in their second and third trimester provided they have been practicing yoga regularly. Practice Virabhadrasana while standing close to a wall so you can support yourself if required. However do consult your doctor before doing this yoga posture.
- Avoid this posture if you are suffering or had recently suffered from diarrhea.
- If you have knee pain or arthritis, use some support at the knee to hold this yoga posture.
