Asana Insight
Pose of the Month: Warrior III
Warrior III (Vhirabhadrasana III) is most commonly thought of as a balancing pose. However, if you also think of it as a backbending pose, you will more easily find the strength and balance to hold the pose.
Consider the actions necessary to support vhirabhadrasana III: To keep the upper body, torso, and lifted leg in a vertical line, the muscles of the back body need to engage powerfully. The muscles of the back arms and shoulders (triceps/deltoids), upper back (rhomboids), middle back (lats/erector spinae), and back of the hips (glutes/hamstrings) are all important supporting muscles in this pose.
To feel how true this is, consider entering vhirabhadrasana III not from vhirabhadrasana II (as is customary) but from a standing forward fold (uttanasana). Feel the actions necessary to pull up into the pose. Although the transition is challenging, you do not need to find the perfect version of the pose - or even be able to hold the pose. Simply feel the backbending action that brings you towards the pose. The whole back body comes alive to assist.
Now, you can enter the pose from an easier starting point (tadasana or vhirabhadrasana II), if you like. As you hold the pose, think about intentionally engaging the backbending muscles to keep the body lifted. As you find this back body support, the pose will feel lighter, as you find the natural alignment of the pose.
You may also enjoy practicing vhirabhadrasana at the wall, pressing your palms in to the wall for balance.
To prepare for this pose, consider practicing a few backbends. Poses like locust (shalabhasana) and bow (dhanurasana) involve similar actions to vhirabhadrasana III - lifting the body using the muscles of the back body.
Explore Previous Poses of the Month in Asana Insight