Virabhadrasana III

ACE 7:30, EKOBAYASHI


Virabhadra is sankrit for warrior. So this translates to Warrior 3. Virabhadra is actually the name of a warrior that was an incarnation of Shiva. He had a thousand heads, feet and eyes. He also wielded a thousand clubs while wearing tiger fur.



A key point, as it is in many poses, is balance. Even in the starting position, tadasana, you must make sure that you're weight is balanced evenly. Your thighs should be firm, upper body straight and your big toes should be touching.


In order to do this pose, you shouldn't just jump right into the stance. You lessen the experience by doing so and you'll probably do it wrong. There are several steps taken so that you ease yourself into the pose. And by previous steps, I don't mean stand in your lazy, zombie version of Tadasana for 5 seconds.

Once you have a good Tadasana stance, exhale and step your left foot back into a lunge position. Your right leg should be parallel to the floor. This pose is the base for the Virabhadrasana adasanas.

Now from the lunge position, stretch your arms forward, parallel to the floor and parallel to each other, palms facing each other. Slowly lift the back leg off the ground and slowly try to make a T-shape pose while balancing on one leg. Try to push with you hands in front of you while pulling back on the lifted leg. Tighten your core and keep the hips flat, not raised on one side. Focus on firming up the quadriceps on the one leg being balanced on. Keep that leg like you're still standing in tadasana.

Keep this pose for 30 seconds to a minute and then slowly go back to the previous lunging stance and then tadasana.


You shouldn't start Virabhadrasana III by lunging the torso forward. This tends to shift the body weight onto the ball of the front foot and unbalance the position. Don't allow the torso to swing forward as you move into position; instead, as you straighten the front knee, think of pressing the head of the thighbone back. This centers the femur in the hip joint, grounds the heel into the floor, and stabilizes the position.
You should also hold your head up so you're facing forward, but don't strain your neck. It should be relaxed and aligned with the spine.


The variation is to start by leaning your arms against the wall and to use the wall to help you balance your upper body.
This pose focuses on your
•Spine
•Shoulders
•Hips
•Ankles
•Calves
•Hamstrings
•Thighs



By practicing this pose you
•Strengthen the ankles and legs
•Strengthen the shoulders and muscles of the back
•Tone the abdomen
•Improve balance and posture


By doing this pose you should
•Feel your foot become firm and steady against the floor. Sense of balance.
•Feel your neck and head extend from the spine
•Feel your abdomen and back stretch and relax


::REFERENCES::


Since links don't seem to appear...
http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/warrior3.htm
http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/941