Warrior I is a fundamental yoga pose that has many benefits. For example, If you suffer from fatigue or want to improve your balance, Warrior I will be very beneficial to you.
Why warrior I is so common in most yoga classes? And what are its benefits?
Warrior I is one of the poses of Ashtanga Surya Namasakra B.
It works on your upper and lower body at the same time
It strengthen the legs including psoas, ankles, calves & thighs
It stretches your legs including your hamstrings, gluteus & calves
It works on your balance & improves your posture
It boosts energy and helps with fatigue
It expands the chest so it helps with deep breathing
It relieves stiffness in the shoulders and back so its recommended for people who sit at their desk for long periods of time
It relieves stiffness in the neck
It reduces fat around the hips
It strengthens your deltoids
For practitioners with certain physical limitations, be sure to read the instructions below.
Knee pain:
To avoid front knee pain: Engage your quadriceps and abductors and draw your right femur back to the hip (if your right knee is bent)
To avoid back knee pain: Engage your left thigh and adductors (if your left foot is back) and anchor the outer edge of your left foot and press your heel down
Pro tip: imagine you are dragging your feet towards each other without moving them. That brings contraction to certain muscles and you will experience less or no pain in the knees.
Lower back pain:
Make sure you elongate the spine and reach your arms towards the sky. Engaging your back muscles including your lower trapezius. Be aware of your lower back by not over arching it, so engage your abdominal muscles (not too much) and draw your pubic bone up and take your sacrum down. Also draw your ribs towards the spine and bend your front knee less than usual.
Limited balance:
Either shorten or widen your stance (or try both) and see if it improves your balance.
Overall, Warrior I is a pose that strengthens and stretches many different muscles and it works on your balance. Hence it has everything you need. You just need to pay attention to the details of it to receive all the benefits. Also in order to improve your practice, we need to embrace the poses of Surya namaskar A & B. These poses build a great foundation for our practice in the future.
