Warrior II

Virabhdrasana II

Benefits

Builds and increases stamina.
Strengthens feet, legs and arms.
Opens the hips, chest, hamstrings and groin.
Stimulates the abdominal organs.
Cultivates a feeling of pride and balance within us. 

Preparatory Poses

Remember practice external rotation of the and hips before internal rotating.

HOW TO

Begin in Star pose, and with the arms out at shoulder height, align the outside edges of the feet under the wrist.
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Turn your front foot to 90 degrees and turn the back toes in towards the body slightly, bringing the weight to the inside of the back foot keeping a lift through the arches (reduces the risk of overstretching the ligaments of the feet).
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Exhale to bend into the front knee, keeping the front knee stacking directly over the front ankle (you may need to widen the stance if this does not occur) External rotation in the thighs, hips level, back leg engaged. Check in with the front knee and ensure you can see your first 2 toes on the inside of the knee.
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Shoulders stacking over the hips, arms to a T, shoulders blades settling together on the back. Chest and hips parallel to the long edge of the mat.
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Take the gaze out over the front hand, activate the fingers, Exhale to soften into the hips finding a little bit more depth and drawing the front glute under.
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To enhance the length and strength of the arms in the pose, rotate the palms and the eyes of the elbow towards the ceiling while you draw the shoulder blades down the back. Then maintaining the rotation of the arms, turn the palms from the wrists to face the floor again.
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Take 5-10 rounds of breath, keeping the body activated and engaged. Using the breath to calm the mind and bring in a feeling of effortless effort to this powerful asana.

To Come Out

Inhale to straighten the front leg, return to Star pose before moving on the second side.