Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1)
Practising this asana brings a whole host of benefits: It strengthens your spine & back muscles and relieves backache, lumbago and sciatica. Tones the abdominal muscles. Relieves acidity and improves digestion. Strengthens the bladder and corrects a displaces uterus. Relieves pain and heavy flow during menstruation.
| Skeletal joint actions | |||
| Spine | Upper limbs | Lower limbs | |
| Front leg | Back leg | ||
| Extension, slight rotation for chest to face forward, pelvis level
|
Scapular abduction and upward rotation, shoulder abduction and external rotation, slight elbow flexion, forearm supination | SI joint nutation, hip flexion, knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion
|
SI joint counternutation, hip extension and adduction, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion and foot supination at heel and pronation at forefoot |
| Muscular joint actions | |||
| Spine | |||
| Concentric contraction | Eccentric contraction | ||
| To extend spine:
Spinal extensors To rotate chest forward: Internal oblique (front leg side); external oblique (back leg side) |
To prevent hyperextension at lumbar spine:
Psoas minor, abdominal muscles To support weight of head as neck extends: Rectus capitis, longus capitis and colli, verticalis, scalenes |
||
| Upper limbs | |||
| Concentric contraction | |||
| To abduct and upwardly rotate scapula:
Serratus anterior To supinate forearm: Supinator |
To stabilize and abduct shoulder joint:
Rotator cuff, biceps brachii (long head), middle deltoid |
||
| Lower limbs | |||
| Front leg | Back leg | ||
| Concentric contraction | Eccentric contraction | Concentric contraction | Eccentric contraction |
| To resist tendency to widen knee (abduct at hip):
Gracilis, adductor longus and brevis
|
To allow hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion without collapsing into gravity:
Gluteus maximus, hamstrings at hip joint, vastii, soleus, intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of foot To level and center pelvis over feet and to maintain balance side to side (the narrower the stance, the more active and long these muscles need to be): Gluteus medius and minimus; piriformis, superior and inferior gemellus |
To extend hip:
Hamstrings at hip joint, gluteus medius (posterior fibers), adductor magnus, gluteus maximus To extend knee: Articularis genu, vastii To maintain arches of foot without inhibiting dorsiflexion of ankle: Intrinsic muscles of foot
|
To allow outer ankle to lengthen without collapsing inner knee or inner
foot: Peroneals
|
Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2)
This pose exercise your limbs and torso vigorously, reducing stiffness in your neck and shoulders. It improves your breathing capacity by expanding the chest. Alleviates the condition of a slipped disc, reduces fats around the hips and relieves lower backache. This pose also makes your knee and hip joints more flexible.
| Skeletal joint actions | |||
| Spine | Upper limbs | Lower limbs | |
| Front leg | Back leg | ||
| Neutral spine, slight rotation for chest to orient to side, head rotated to face front leg, pelvis level | Scapular abduction, shoulder abduction and external rotation, forearm pronation
|
SI joint nutation, hip flexion and abduction, knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion
|
SI joint counternutation, hip extension and abduction, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion, foot supination at heel and pronation at forefoot |
| Muscular joint actions | |||
| Spine | |||
| Alternating concentric and eccentric contractions Concentric contraction | Concentric contraction | ||
| To maintain neutral alignment of spine:
Spinal extensors and flexors |
To rotate chest to side:
External oblique (front leg side); internal oblique (back leg side) To rotate head toward front leg: Rectus capitis posterior, obliquus capitis inferior, longus capitis and colli, splenius capitis (front leg side); sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius (back leg side) |
||
| Upper limbs | |||
| Concentric contraction | Passively lengthening | ||
| To abduct scapula:
Serratus anterior To stabilize and abduct shoulder joint: Rotator cuff, biceps brachii (long head), deltoid To pronate forearm: Pronator quadratus and teres |
Pectoralis major and minor (particularly
in back arm)
|
||
| Lower limbs | |||
| Front leg | Back leg | ||
| Concentric contraction
|
Eccentric contraction
|
Concentric contraction
|
Eccentric contraction
|
| To abduct hip:
Gluteus medius and minimus
|
To abduct hip and allow hip flexion without collapsing into gravity:
Gluteus maximus, piriformis, obturator externus, superior and inferior gemellus To allow hip and knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion without collapsing into gravity: Hamstrings at hip joint, vastii, soleus, intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of foot
|
To extend and abduct hip:
Gluteus medius and minimus, hamstrings at hip joint, piriformis, obturator externus, superior and inferior gemellus To extend knee: Articularis genu, vastii To maintain arches of foot without inhibiting dorsiflexion of ankle: Intrinsic muscles of foot |
To support inner knee:
Gracilis To allow outer ankle to lengthen without collapsing inner knee or inner foot: Peroneals
|
Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)
One of the favourite poses to improve balance and focus. Teaches body awareness and proprioception as you learn to adjustment your body. Additionally, this asana strengthens the legs, arms, back and core muscles.
| Skeletal joint actions | |||
| Spine | Upper limbs | Lower limbs | |
| Standing leg | Lifted leg | ||
| Neutral spine or axial extension
|
Scapular upward rotation, abduction, and elevation; shoulder abduction; elbow extension
|
SI joint nutation, hip flexion and adduction, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion
|
SI joint counternutation, neutral hip extension and rotation, knee extension, ankle dorsiflexion |
| Muscular joint actions | ||
| Spine | ||
| Concentric contraction | ||
| To maintain alignment of spine:
Intertransversarii, interspinalis, transversospinalis, erector spinae |
To prevent anterior tilt of pelvis and overextension of lumbar spine:
Psoas minor, abdominal muscles |
|
| Upper limbs | ||
| Concentric contraction | ||
| To upwardly rotate, abduct, and elevate scapula:
Upper trapezius, serratus anterior To stabilize and flex shoulder joint: Rotator cuff, coracobrachialis, pectoralis major and minor, middle deltoid, biceps brachii (short head)
|
To extend elbow:
Anconeus, triceps brachii
|
|
| Lower limbs | ||
| Standing leg | Lifted leg | |
| Concentric contraction | Eccentric contraction | Concentric contraction |
| To keep knee in neutral extension and balance on single leg:
Articularis genu, quadriceps, intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of foot and lower leg
|
To control hip flexion:
Hamstrings To allow lateral shift of pelvis over standing foot for balance and to keep pelvis level: Gluteus medius and minimus, piriformis, superior and inferior gemellus
|
To maintain neutral hip extension and rotation:
Hamstrings, adductor magnus, gluteus maximus
|
Reference:
Yoga Anatomy-2nd Edition-Human Kinetics (2011) by Leslie Kaminoff, Amy Matthews
The Path to Holistic Health by BKS Iyengar Yoga