Warrior 1: Cues to Ignore for Better Results
- You've likely heard the cue to keep your feet on "two-lane highway" - meaning your heels in line with each other.
- Forcing the back foot to align with the front heel can cause internal rotation in the back hip, compressing the knee joint and limiting the external rotation needed...
- Rather of focusing on a specific alignment of the heels, focus on grounding through all four corners of *both* feet.
# Ditch These Yoga Cues: A Better Way too Approach Warrior 1
Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana I) is a powerful and grounding yoga pose, but often, traditional alignment cues can actually *work against* your body, creating tension and limiting teh benefits. Let’s break down four common cues that deserve a rethink, and explore more effective alternatives for a safer, more empowering practice.
## 1. Instead of: Two-Lane Highway Feet
You’ve likely heard the cue to keep your feet on “two-lane highway” – meaning your heels in line with each other. While the intention is good (stability!), this cue often leads to forcing the back foot outward, creating unnecessary strain.
The reality is, everyone’s hip structure is different. Forcing the back foot to align with the front heel can cause internal rotation in the back hip, compressing the knee joint and limiting the external rotation needed for a healthy, stable Warrior 1.
Try: Ground Through All Four Corners of Your Feet
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Rather of focusing on a specific alignment of the heels, focus on grounding through all four corners of *both* feet. Spread your toes wide, press firmly through the inner and outer edges of your feet, and feel a connection to the earth. Allow your back foot to angle outwards naturally,respecting your body’s unique range of motion. This will promote stability *without* forcing your alignment.
## 2. Instead of: Square your Hips
Speaking of rotating your hips forward, let’s talk about the cue “square your hips.” When it comes to warrior 1, we need to let this cue go once and for all.
Warrior 1 is an asymmetrical pose, which means each side of the body is doing something different. With one foot forward and the other foot further back, the hips will never be “square” to the front of the mat.
That’s because Warrior 1 causes the back leg to be externally rotated. When you attempt to square the hips, you’re actually encouraging the back thigh bone to internally rotate, which is the equivalent of transferring tension to the knees and hips and inviting pain.
Yet we frequently enough see students who are trying to find this fictitious alignment as they’ve heard the cue so many times.Consequently,they’re cranking and yanking their pelvis in an attempt to find an impossible shape.And that can cause strain,discomfort,even pain in the hips,knees,and spine.
Trying to force this alignment also tends to throw students off balance as the back heel lifts and the spine over arches. That means you lose access to certain benefits of the pose that emphasize strength, stability, and opening.
Try: Bring Your Back Hip Forward
Instead, try gently pulling your front hip back and rolling your back hip forward.When your hips stop rotating, that’s it. You’re done! You don’t need to do anything more than that.
## 3. Rather of: Tuck Your Tailbone
Let’s talk about the spine. You want to keep its natural curve. No tucking your tailbone under like you’re Urkel or about to dance the limbo. Unless you have an excessive arch in your lower back that would benefit from gently lengthening your tailbone downward, tucking the tailbone may create unnecessary hip tension or even restrict your breathing.
Try: Keep the Natural Curve of Your Spine
If you happen to find yourself or students unnaturally and dramatically arching the spine, that’s when you can focus on drawing the front of the rib cage down or bringing the spine back to neutral. Otherwise, leave the spine alone.
## 4.Instead of: Draw Your Shoulder Blades Down
Can we all finally agree that when you lift your arms, you should let the shoulders lift with them, too? That’s what the scapula, or shoulder blades, do. They are literally designed to elevate when your arms lift.