Warrior 3 Virabhadrasana 3

Step by step 

• Starting in Mountain Pose place your hands on your hips.

• Engage your core to support your low back. Fold from the hips lowering your torso to parallel with the floor as you lift your left leg up behind you. You can place your hands on blocks here or extend the arms alongside your ears.

• Focus on a point on the floor just in front of your mat.

• Keep the quadricep muscles of the front right thigh engaged to stabilize your knee. 

• Straighten both legs as much as you comfortably can. Try to lift the back leg so your ankle, knee, and hip are the same level. From the hip joint, internally rotate your back leg so the middle toe points straight down. Keep your hips level. 

• Stay for 5 breaths.

• To come out of the pose, step both feet together as you stand up into Mountain Pose. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits 

• Warrior 3 pose strengthens the legs, arms, back and core muscles.

• Works the small muscles of the feet and ankles.

• Improves balance and focus.

• Teaches body awareness and proprioception as you learn to adjust your own position in space. 

Pay Close Attention

• Locking or hyperextending the knee of the standing leg. Keep a slight bend in the knee if you are prone to this.

• It’s common for the hip of the raised leg to lift up, try to keep them both level with each other by rotating the inner thigh of the lifted leg upwards and rolling the outer hip downwards (internally rotating the leg from the hip joint.)

• Keep your core engaged coming into, during, and coming out of the posture to protect and support your lower back. 

Contraindications

• Avoid this posture if recent hip or knee surgery.