Regular practice of Warrior I/Virabhadrasana I increases flexibility in the hips and strengthens and tones the legs, ankles and feet. Working on Warrior I will improve all standing poses as well as hip openers. In this pose we get a twist for the spine, while the opening of the shoulders and side body prepares us for backbends.

However, because of all these different elements Warrior I is a complex pose with a lot of different alignment cues to learn. Keeping all these in mind while staying with the breath can feel a bit like a juggling act. But this is Warrior Pose after all – named after the fierce warrior Virabhadra, who is said to symbolize our inner ability to overcome ego and ignorance. The warriors challenge and test us but in doing so bring us strength, focus, confidence and courage.