Reverse Warrior

Viparita Virabhadrasana

Reverse Warrior is a powerful standing pose that stretches your hips and groins, while lengthening your spinal and intercostal muscles.

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Step By Step

From a standing position step your feet 3.5 to 4 feet apart. Turn your right foot to the right 90 degrees and keep your left foot pointing forward.
Bend your right knee until your right thigh bone is parallel to the floor. Keep your right knee stacked directly above your right ankle. Keep your right knee from collapsing inward by pressing it slightly to the right so you can stretch your right inner thigh and groin muscles.
Raise your arms out to the side to shoulder height. Turn your palms to face the floor. Lengthen your spine and lift your chest.
Flip your right palm over to face the ceiling, and raise your right arm up overhead and begin to reach up and back. Place your left hand gently on the outside of your left leg. Keep both hips and shoulders square to left so that you can achieve a side bend. Continue to maintain the lunge in your front leg as you reach up and back into a side bend position.
Look straight up at the ceiling, or you may look down towards the floor for a neck stretch.
Hold for 30 to 45 seconds while breathing deeply. To release, bring your hands to your hips and straighten your front leg. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits

Strengthens upper back, legs, and upper arms
Stretches groins, hips, inner thighs and chest while lengthening spinal, waist, and intercostal muscles
Increases energy and stamina
Encourages confidence, focus, and willpower

Contraindications

Hip injury
Knee injury
Shoulder injury
High or low blood pressure
Balance issues
Neck injury or pain - Instead of turning your head to look up, look straight down

Modifications

Practice this posture against a wall to help align your hips and shoulders, or if you have issues with balance

Chakras

Reverse Warrior balances the Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana), which governs our intimacy and connectivity, and the Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura), which governs our confidence and will power. This pose helps the practitioner feel more confident and empowered, while learning to set boundaries. It can also help tame the ego if it is out of balance.