Warrior 1 is a common standing pose in most yoga classes you will take, and is used as a frequently used as an introductory pose for more complex standing poses. Before you attempt more complex poses, I’d highly encourage you to make sure your “basics” are done correctly. This minimizes your risk for injury when moving into more complex positions. So how do you know you are doing this correctly? Let’s dive in.
- Engage your core and lift your pelvic floor. You know the feeling of putting on a super tight pair of pants (who doesn’t?)—that’s the feeling you want to aim for to make sure your core muscles are engaged and your pelvic floor is lifted the entire time you are practicing yoga. That’s right. I said the entire time. This provides support to your low back, helps your balance, and gives you additional stability while transitioning into various positions.
- Beginning in chair pose, place your hands on your hips and slowly step back with one foot. While stepping back, you can play around with the distance of your step. If you feel off-balanced, try shortening the distance of your step. The goal is to be able to keep your back heel completely on the ground. Your back toes will point primarily forward, but you may find that a slight angle towards your small toe might help with any back/hip/knee discomfort you may be experiencing.
- Bend your front knee while maintaining your back foot on the ground and pelvis in a neutral position.
Your hands may be in whatever position you’d like! When you are beginning your practice, you may find it helpful to place your hands on your hips to assess the positioning of your pelvis or holding onto a chair/the wall to assist with your balance. As you progress, you may want to try extending your arms overhead or position them in eagle arms.
And that’s it! Give it a try ♥
emPOWER wellness 