Warrior II / Virabhadrasana II

Step by step:

From Tadasana

• Take a big step back with your left leg.
• Right foot turned out to the top of your mat, left foot turned slightly in (same direction as the right foot) about 45/60 degrees .
• Stand with straight legs , press 4 corners of feet into the floor, firm your legs up.
• Inhale as you raise your arm parallel to the floor, keep shoulders down and neck long.
• Exhale as you bend the right knee, keeping your knee over ankle, but bring your right thigh towards parallel to the floor. Sometimes it is necessary to adjust the legs, and bring them further apart. Heel to heel alignment.
• Check the alignment of your right knee, it should be in line with the first 2 toes, roll top of thigh down towards floor on the right. Press down through the big toe to balance that action. Press top of left thigh back, and ground the outside of the left foot into the floor.
• Sides of hips firm in and elongate through the four sides of your spine evenly. Draw your abdomen gently in and up. Diaphragm soft.
• Extend through collarbones, through fingertips, and elongate evenly through the four sides of the neck.
• Look out over the right arm.
• your body should be in a right angle with the floor. Shoulders over hips.
• To come out, press into your feet and on an inhalation straighten the leg.
• Change the orientation of the feet to the other side, and repeat on the left side.

To see Esther demonstrating this pose on video, click on Yoga Class For The Hips.

Click on Virabhadrasana II to find out about the benefits of this pose.