Hey, everyone.
Welcome to Yoga With Adriene.
I am Adriene, and today on the Foundations of Yoga, we are learning Virabhadrasana
Three or Warrior Three.
This is a balancing posture, it is a full-body strengthener, a ton of
benefits, but really I love this posture because it's about being fierce
while also being graceful, gracefully and grandfully.
Oh, my God!
If you know it, maybe that's from, leave it in the
comment box below, and I will love you forever.
Let's learn Warrior Three.
All right, so we're going to learn this in three parts today.
We're going to come to a runner's lunge to begin.
So, no fancy swan dive or anything.
Again, we're just kind of breaking down the basics to learn the foundations
of this posture, and I like getting into it from kind of the earth up, from
the ground up.
Gives us a chance to really connect to our center, and of
course build a strong foundation.
So, let's take the right leg forward, left leg back, and lift that back
knee up, just stretch it out.
Take a deep breath in here.
We do have a runner's lunge foundation video.
I think you should check it out, obviously, but I'm partial, no.
And then we're going to plant that back foot whenever you're ready.
Keep a deep bend in the front knee, so nice stacking of ankle and knee.
And then we'll slowly roll it up.
So, I want you just to roll it up today to feel this connection to center.
So, tailbone lengthens down, navel draws in, and we roll it up.
Back leg is nice and strong.
All right, so I'm engaging from the ground up.
Now, bring your awareness to that front foot here, strong
back legs still, but bring your awareness to the front foot.
We're going to really press into all four corners of the feet.
So, the back two corners of the heels, and then the
ball joint of the big toe, and the ball joint of the pinkie toe.
So, it kind of comes to these Yogi toesies here.
Four-part equal standing, we have a video for that too, which I think is
really helpful for standing postures.
So, check that out.
Okay.
Now I can reach my hands up in Warrior if I want to
just kind of shine and feel good, or I can keep my hands on the waistline.
Take a deep breath in here, spread awareness, press into that, front foot strong.
Navel draws in slightly, we inhale, think up with the crown of the head,
up with the heart.
Keep this upward movement, and there's this kind of
energetic lift as you peel the back heel up and step halfway in.
Woo!
So, I'm finding that opposition, which is truly what my hatha yoga's all
about.
Right?
Finding places to ground as I find places to lift.
So, pressing into that front for now, I'm going
to have a soft bend in this front knee, and I'm just going to play with
a little buoyancy.
So, this might seem weird at first, especially if you're
new to the practice.
You're like, what are we doing Adriene?
Freak!
And that's okay, you can think that, but I highly recommend you find this
is kind of buoyancy.
Feel strong front foot as we kind of find this lift and lengthen up through
the front body.
Now, inhale in and on a swift exhale, bend both knees, lift
that back leg.
We're not here yet, okay guys, chill, chill.
In fact, I'm going to step back just a little bit, just
chill, nice, focus on the foundation.
So, a soft bend in the front knee, and now I'm just checking in
again with that front foot again.
So, before we even get to here, guys, spread awareness to all four corners
of that front foot, draw the navel in towards the spine, shoulders away
from the ears, find places where you can lift and lengthen, and then of
course places where we can ground.
I'm not locking that standing leg here, but rather keeping a soft bend in the knee.
So, soft awareness as my muscles wrap around the support.
Okay.
Belly's going to come out here and we're going to start to get crazy.
Draw the navel in.
You might even spiral the lower rib cage, draw the lower
rib cage in just as support with your center.
Hands come to the waistline here, and now we bring our awareness to this
back thigh.
We might just lift the toes up here for now and slowly begin
to work from here to here.
Okay?
So, you might just be here.
You might be at a wall.
Rather than coming into the full posture right away, work on creating
a full-body experience.
I just can't say that enough.
It's so important.
And then one day, you'll be so in that full-body experience that you'll
soar in this insane Warrior Three.
You're going to be like, "Ah, working from the inside out, right
on."
Ways to play.
Bring your awareness to this back thigh.
Rather than imagining hoisting your foot up, keep the
hips level, and see if you can kind of bring awareness to this back thigh,
lifting from the back thigh.
So, we hoist our body up.
We throw our body around all day long.
In Yoga, we get a chance to really work with integrity.
So, consider that here in this balancing posture, so don't rush it.
Charging that back thigh or bring awareness there, so we're not just
lifting from the foot, but we're keeping the hips level.
So, maybe dropping that left hip here.
Chest is open, supportive in the center.
We can stay here, gaze is strong, or we can reach the
fingertips forward.
Take a deep breath in, feel it out, then slowly we'll
bring the back foot down, come back to Warrior One, and release the arms.
Rock on.
Okay.
We're going to try one more time, this time with a little
variation.
And this is my favorite way to teach Warrior Three.
I just think it's really great in terms of finding that opposition that's essentially
going to support.
So here we go again.
Hands come to the waistline, soft bend in the knee,
awareness in that front foot.
Step the foot in if you haven't already; find a nice little bounce here.
It's like, what's that, sissy bounce?
Lord!
We can't have that on the show, not today anyway,
but I'm a fan.
I wish I could move like those sissy bouncers, man,
maybe someday.
Okay.
Warrior Three, soft bend in the knee, inhale in, on a swift exhale
take that buoyant energy, that buoyant quality, and press away.
Now, press is actually the perfect word for this next
variation.
I'm going to level the hips, draw my navel in, keep that extension
through the crown.
Again, don't worry about being in the perfect shape
for now, just worry . . . In fact, I can impress you with my Warrior Three,
but I don't want to.
I want us to kind of find that integrity as we slowly
build up to a nice, strong, and supportive Virabhadrasana Three.
So, this time I'm going to send my fingertips back.
It's funny; I'm on a creaky wood now, creaky plank.
Soft bend in the knee, now think about that back inner thigh.
All right?
Now this time, imagine you're pressing the palms into the earth.
So, in fact, imagine that the earth came up here, and
in class I would come and maybe give you a little resistance.
So, imagine that you're pressing away, so just like we
do in our twist when we find kind of a little resistance there.
See if you can find a little resistance here, and again, you can do this without even
lifting that back toe.
So, if you're a super beginner, then you want to give it a try anyway, so I
go from here to pressing away, really finding that lift and lengthen, that
marriage of strength, but also length and grace.
Might be here, might be here.
Again, I'm pressing into imaginary floor here kind of like Superman.
Once you have your resistance here, you might begin to slowly come to here
and we breathe.
Breathe.
I can't believe I'm on this crickety piece of
wood.
Perfect.
One more breath, and then we softly bend that front knee,
step it back to Warrior One, take a deep breath in, and exhale.
Tadasana.
All right.
Let's try the other side.
Same thing.
We're going to break it on down, starting with our runner's lunge.
This time, the left foot's forward, of course.
Right foot back; take a second to just get into it.
Breathe.
Breathe with me now.
Okay.
Plant the back foot.
Again, for today, rather than . . . Well, for today, I encourage you,
I invite you, to tuck the tailbone and roll it up.
This one reminds me that I'm kind of anchoring through the feet, drawing energy up through
the arches, and connecting to my center of gravity, which is obviously so
necessary for this Warrior Three, and just so good for the back and the
whole body.
So take a second here to just check in.
Again, if you want to reach the fingertips up to your Warrior One, shine on,
babes, shine on.
And then we'll bring the fingertips to the waistline,
soft bend in the knees here, I lift the back heel up, and step it in halfway.
I'm going to come to the center of my mat again.
Soft bend here, bring your awareness around to that
front foot just like we did before.
So we're going to have this woo thing.
See if you can spread awareness through all four corners of the feet, press
down, and then find places to lift up.
Now here we go again, the sissy bounce.
Just kidding, not that.
Everyone's going to be Googling sissy bounce if they
don't know already, and they'll be like, "Oh, my God!"
It's pretty cool.
Okay.
Soft bend, we find a buoyancy.
Let's grab a Drishti, a little focus, something to set our gaze
on in front, and then we might lift that back leg up.
Notice I'm not locking this front leg.
It might be like big Tony on the ground, you guys.
There's no right or wrong.
Let's really do this.
It's like, have integrity and be in our bodies.
That's called self-love, too, it's a great practice.
So, navel draw in, woo, take it nice and slow, draw the shoulders away from
the ears.
Now we might begin to lift the back leg and, again, I encourage
you rather than just considering lifting this back foot, consider
everything from your center, from your foundation.
So, I'm leveling that right hip.
I'm bring my awareness to that right inner thigh.
As I drop the hips, spiral it up towards the sky.
Now, hands can stay on the waistline here.
Maybe you can take this variation of sternum to thumb, which is nice.
Neck is nice and long, not crunching, and then maybe we just experiment
with reaching the fingertips out, maybe we're at the wall here too.
Check in with the shoulders, the hips, breathe, breathe, breathe, then softly
bending back to Warrior One we go.
Take a deep breath in and exhale, float it down.
Okay.
Let's try the second variation with the palms pressing away from the
early.
Ready?
Take a deep breath in, exhale, let it go, and let's give it a
try.
So again, we can be on that big toe, we could just practice balance
here, baby steps.
This is about practice, right?
My favorite Pattabhi Jois quote, "We'll practice and all is coming."
It's just so simple, so true, and really beautiful.
Good reminder.
Okay.
We'll send the fingertips back.
Again, find that imaginary piece.
So, just imagine like a piece of Plexiglas or
something here, pressing up.
So, you're literally pressing into that imaginary
piece of glass or imagine my palm coming in, sneaking in there to press
against.
Creating full-body experience, nice, strong awareness from the
crown of the head to the tip of the tailbone.
It's hard to do this and talk, sorry.
In time, we can get to where, you know we start to level things out
and really play, and even twist, but just honor where you're at today.
That's what the foundations of yoga are all about, too, getting somewhere
by honoring where you're at now.
We might drop the hips.
Again, pressing, finding that resistance, and then
we might just check it out.
Might even interlace the fingertips here.
We breathe, we breathe, we breathe, wherever
we're at, we breathe.
And then we release.
Reaching the fingertips up, take a deep breath in and exhale.
Float the fingertips and let's down, and let's slide that back foot up.
We did it!
All righty.
So that was Warrior Three.
Awesome job, everyone.
So, if you're feeling a little discouraged after that or
maybe you're feeling awesome, and that's great.
But if you're feeling a little like, "Hmm," I just want
to remind you that it's all about the practice baby.
That's why we're doing this.
This is a fierce pose.
If you're wanting to take your practice to the
next level, this will be a great thing to tackle.
Try to do it once everyday, just give this video a go, or maybe
three or four times a week.
In fact, you can click the Add To tab below, favorite the video so it's
easier to find.
Make sure you like it, and then return to it.
So, it's about the return on home.
And I really think that if you experiment with
that and practice with that, you will be surprised how fast the body
changes and how you will fly like a fierce warrior in no time.
Sorry, my arm just probably went out of frame there.
Bad actor.
Not that I'm acting here, but okay T.M.I.
Love you guys.
Leave questions, comments below please.
Appreciate all your feedback thus far.
And if you have any requests, send them in.
We'll see you next time.
Namaste.