Triangle (Trikonasana), Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I) and Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) are strong hip opening postures and a core staple of most Hatha Yoga classes.

They strengthen the legs, buttocks and lower back whilst opening through the chest and groin.

It’s all about the geometry

Triangle pose (Trikonasana) is derived from the Sanskrit word for… you guessed it – Triangle (Trikona) and Seat/Pose (Asana). Sanskrit is an Indo-European language and the root word ‘tri’ is equivalent to the Latin tres and Greek treis – all meaning ‘three’.

In the full expression of the pose the straight legs create an equilateral triangle with the lower edge running along the mat. A second, inverted triangle is then formed by the lowest side of the body, the downwards pointing arm and the front leg.

We’re not all the same and neither are our Triangles!

As with all things in Yoga, your Triangle is your own – yours may be wider or taller and may change over time!

The way of the warrior

The use of the term Warrior doesn’t sound very Yogic, but as Yoga is from India, much of the terminology and naming of poses is descended from Hindi traditions.

Warrior poses are named after Virabhadra, who was a son of Lord Shiva the Destroyer (the most powerful God of the Hindu pantheon) and was born out of unbearable suffering.

When Shiva’s wife Sati was killed, Shiva tore out his hair and created Virabhadra and the fierce goddess Kali from his locks. The brother and sister were made commanders of the legions Shiva sent to avenge Sati’s death.

Building the poses

These poses start with a solid foundation – engagement of the muscles of the foot preventing collapse of the ankles and engagement of the quadriceps to avoid the knees rolling in or hyperextending.

In Triangle the legs should be kept straight in order to stretch and lengthen the adductors, hamstrings and calves. Opening of the hips whilst maintaining a strong structure is assisted by engagement of the gluteus maximus.

This isn’t a geometry lesson so it doesn’t matter if your Triangle has non-straight sides!

If your legs don’t straighten then just take them to where you can – you should still feel stretching through the legs. Focus on what the pose feels like to you, not how it looks to someone else!

External benefits

Triangle creates a lateral extension of the spine (not a side bend) and strengthens and stretches the internal and external obliques. These muscles are part of our core muscles and strengthening them can help alleviate lower back pain.

Engagement of the rectus abdominis helps pull up and activate the perineal muscles, strengthening the pelvic floor – the lower part of the core.

In Triangle and Warrior II, the chest is opened and the pectorals stretched by contraction of the latissimus dorsi, and trapezius muscles, helping to strengthen the upper back. In Warrior I, the lifting of the chest creates a backbend, helping to strengthen the whole back and stretching the front of the body. In all of these poses, the triceps are engaged to help keep the arms straight.

Internal benefits

We can all hold tension in the hips and inner thighs and opening of the hips can be helped by the stretching of the psoas and contraction of the gluteus muscles in these poses. Shortening of the psoas can occur through sitting in chairs for prolonged periods and is also affected by stress as it contracts with the release of adrenalin. These postures open out and extend the psoas and this can feel good if you’ve been sitting still for a while.

The opening of the chest cavity stimulates the heart, increasing the heart rate, moving the blood faster and flushing toxins from the body. The overall effect fo these poses is to bring energy and confidence – they are great pick-me-ups for when you need a bit of a boost! I’ve often practiced them when feeling lethargic or needing to feel emotionally strong.

Practice

Triangle (Trikonasana)

  1. Start in Mountain pose (Tadasana) with Ujjayi breathing at the top of your mat.
  2. Step back with your left leg to a distance equal to the length of your legs. Ensure your left foot is turned out to about 45° and your heels are in alignment. Keep right middle toe in line with knee cap and keep quad engaged – don’t lock into the kneecap.
  3. INHALE and raise arms to shoulder height. Press the outer edges of the feet into the mat and engage your quads. 
  4. EXHALE, engage your core and extend your spine upwards. Roll your shoulders back and down and stretch your arms out straight.
  5. INHALE and extend forward arm, lengthening the body by lifting the ribs up and out. Draw your right hip back and allow your left hip to move forwards if this is needed to keep your back straight – you are not trying to curve the spine.
  6. EXHALE and take the right hand down to the shin, ankle or floor. Take your left hand up to the sky in line with your shoulder. BREATHE. Push your chest open and pull the shoulder blades together. Lengthen your arms and feel the energy sparking out of your fingers. Pull up the thigh muscles and lock the kneecaps.
  7. INHALE and rotate your head to look upwards or stay looking down if there’s too much tension in your neck. Hold for 3-8 breaths.
  8. INHALE and use upper arms to gently come back out of the pose.
  9. Repeat the sequence with the left leg in front.

Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)

  1. Start in Mountain pose (Tadasana) with Ujjayi breathing at the top of your mat.
  2. Step back with your left leg to a distance equal to the length of your legs or longer. Ensure your left foot is turned out to about 45° and allow a gap widthways on the mat. Keep right middle toe in line with knee cap and keep quad engaged – don’t lock into the kneecap.
  3. Engage your core and extend your spine upwards. Roll your shoulders back and down. Draw your left hip forwards as much as you can whilst pressing into the outer edge of the left foot.
  4. INHALE and sweep the arms up over the head. Keep the upper arms pressing into the ears. Hands can be together or apart
  5. EXHALE and bend your right leg to make a right angle with your knee, thigh parallel to the floor. Keep your knee directly over your ankle. Keep the back leg straight and the outer edge of the back foot pressing into the mat. Do not allow the front knee to rotate inwards over the big toe and make sure the knee isn’t further forwards than the ankle.
  6. Gaze forwards if hands are apart or gently upwards if hands are together – if the neck feels tight then keep arms apart and gaze forwards. Hold for 3-8 breaths.
  7. INHALE as you straighten the right leg to come out of the pose.
  8. Repeat the sequence with the left leg in front.

Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)

  1. Start in Mountain pose (Tadasana) with Ujjayi breathing at the top of your mat.
  2. Step back with your left leg to a distance equal to the length of your legs. Ensure your left foot is turned out to about 90° and your front heel aligns with your back instep or heel. Keep right middle toe in line with knee cap and keep quad engaged – don’t lock into the kneecap.
  3. INHALE and raise arms to shoulder height. Press the outer edges of the feet into the mat and engage your quads.
  4. EXHALE, engage your core and extend your spine upwards. Roll your shoulders back and down and stretch your arms out straight.
  5. INHALE and as you EXHALE bend your right leg to make a right angle with your knee, thigh parallel to the floor. Open the hips so the knee points over your little toe, keeping your knee directly over your ankle. Keep the back leg straight and the outer edge of the back foot pressing into the mat. Do not allow the front knee to rotate inwards over the big toe and make sure the knee isn’t further forwards than the ankle.
  6. Focus your gaze over the front middle finger. Hold for 3-8 breaths.
  7. INHALE as you straighten the right leg.
  8. Repeat the sequence with the left leg in front.

Modify it

  • To engage through the back foot in Triangle and Warrior II, try practicing at right angles to a wall and press the outside of the back foot against the wall
  • Reduce the distance of the legs to lighten the strength required
  • Practice Warrior II and Triangle against a wall to help with alignment or if balance is an issue
  • If you tend to hyperextend your front knee in Triangle, create a slight bend in the knee and engage your quadriceps to support the knee
  • If you have shoulder issues, keep the arms down and resting on the hips or take the hands shoulder width apart in Warrior I

Please remember to consult a healthcare professional before starting any new form of exercise or if you have any pre-existing condition or injury.

Published by jasmineyogauk

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