Quads exercise
Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)How to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hip flexors, Front delts
- Equipment
- Yoga mat
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Warrior I?
- From standing, step your left foot back about one leg-length and turn it out 45–60°.
- Press your back heel down and keep your back leg straight.
- Bend your right knee until it is over your ankle.
- Turn your hips and chest to face the front, lift your chest and raise your arms overhead, palms facing.
- Hold for 5 breaths, then step forward and repeat on the other side.
Cues
- Front knee over the ankle.
- Back heel heavy, back leg strong.
- Reach up through your fingertips; shoulders down.
Common mistakes
- Stance too short, so the knee drives past the toes: step the back foot further back.
- Arching the lower back: draw your lower ribs in and lengthen your tailbone down.
- Back heel lifting: turn the back foot out a little more, or shorten the stance slightly.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Virabhadrasana I as Yoga Journal teaches it today: feet on hip-width tracks (more room to square the hips than Iyengar's heel-to-heel line), back heel down with the foot turned out, front thigh a little above parallel, arms overhead with the palms facing. Shown on the right leg; the app tells the client to repeat on the left.
Starting position
Mountain pose at the middle of the mat; step the left foot back about a leg's length and turn it out.
The position
Front (right) foot pointing to the front of the mat, back (left) foot turned out 45–60° with the outer edge and heel pressed down. Bend the front knee straight over the ankle while the back leg stays straight and strong. Hips and chest face the front of the mat as far as they comfortably turn. Trunk upright over the pelvis, lower belly drawn in, the chest lifting a little. Arms straight overhead, shoulder-width, palms facing; shoulders drawn down from the ears; gaze forward (or up to the thumbs in the full pose).
Breathing
Steady breaths through the nose; lift on the in-breath, settle into the legs on the out-breath.
Tempo
A held pose through one slow breath, 6 s: in-breath 2.5 s, the chest lifts and opens about 3° and the shoulders rise a little; out-breath 3.5 s, back. Legs and hips hold still. Real practice: 5 breaths each side.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Front knee flexion about 80–85° (90° with the thigh parallel is the full pose); front shin within 5° of vertical, the knee over the ankle and never past the toes.
- Back knee straight (under 7°), back heel on the mat, back foot turned out about 55°.
- Trunk vertical (within 3°), chest extension about 4–7°.
- Arms in line with the trunk (within 4°), elbows straight (about 5°).
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Warrior I is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- Yoga Journal pose library, "Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)"
- B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga (1966), Virabhadrasana I.
- American Council on Exercise (ACE) exercise library, "Warrior I".
