Warrior II
Virabhadrasana II
Tips:
- Protect your knee, don't let it extend past the foot of your bent leg (stack knee over ankle)
- If your knee drifts inward reach it outwards and keep sight of your big toe
- Line your front heel up with the heel or arch of your back foot
- Press into the knife edge of your back foot
- Look straight out past the fingers of your front hand
- The front knee flexes.
- The front hip flexes.
- The back hip extends.
- The back foot rotates internally.
- The torso extends.
- The arms abduct.
- The forearms rotate internally.
- The neck and head rotate.
(Long, 2006)
Bones
Warrior II relies on the bones of the hip and leg including the; pelvis, hip (illium, pubis & ischium), femur, patella, tibia, fibula and the tarsals, metatarsals and phalanges of the foot. The scapula and arm bones (humerous, ulna & radius) are also involved in abducting the arms.
Muscles
The front hip flexes which activates the PSOAS and pectinueus muscles. The quadricepts are used to straighten the back leg while the tibialis anterior and posterior are activated to dorsiflex and invert the back foot. The gluteus maximus helps externally rotate the hip. and the tensor fascia latae helps to internally rotate the back leg. The lateral and posterior deltoids are engaged to lift the arms and the infraspinatus and teres minor externally rotate the upper arm bones at the shoulders. The palms pronate via the ppronators teres and quadratus. Finally the rhomboids draw the scapulae to the spine while the serratus anteriso spread the arms apart. (Long, 2011)
References:
(2016). Photo of muscles used in Warrior 2. Retrieved from http://anitagoa.com/yoga-2/beginner-practice-3/
(2018). Bones of the Lower Limb. Retrieved from http://anatomyeshs.wikispaces.com/Ch.7+Skeletal+System
Goldstein, Ben. (2017). Women Posing in Warrior 2. Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/warrior-ii-virabhadrasana-3567136
Long, Ray. (2006). The Key Muscles of Yoga, Scientific Keys, Volume I. China. Bhanda Yoga.
Long, Ray MD FRCSC (2011, June 28). Virabhadrasana II: Warrior II Pose.
Retrieved from https://www.gaia.com/article/virabhadrasana-ii-warrior-ii-pose