Hippy Warriors

Hip alignment plays an important role in mastering the Warriors (Virabhadrasana I, II, and III) and we can start with proper positioning of the feet.

In Vira II, the body is facing to the side, arms outstretched to the sides, parallel with the floor, and the dristi (gaze) is powerfully directed over the forward hand.

To facilitate proper opening of the hips, the forward heel should be in line with the arch of the back foot. So when doing vinyasas and lunging your foot forward, place it directly between the hands before windmilling your arms up to Warrior II.

After your feet are properly aligned, turn your attention to the levelness of your hips. Most of us need to consciously pick the front hip up off our thigh so that both hip bones are level with one another, tailbone drawing down towards the floor, allowing the torso to lengthen up towards the ceiling.

When performing Vira I, the entire body is squared towards the front of the mat and arms are outstretched towards the sky.

If you’re having a difficult time squaring your hips towards the front of the mat, take a look at your feet. Unlike Vira II, your front heel should be in line with the heel of your back foot (or even have a little more space in between!). So when doing vinyasas and lunging your foot forward, place it close to the hand on the same side, pivot the back heel to the floor and take a quick glance back to make sure the feet are properly place then rise up into a glorious Warrior I. This slight alteration in the feet is what gives you enough space to square forward.

Virabhadrasana III is an amazing pose when performed correctly though most of unintentionally “cheat” making the pose easier but also putting stress on our ligaments and tendons.

In Vira III, the body is in Tadasana but teeter-tottered forward creating a T-shape. Your standing leg’s foot should be pointed straight forward and directly under the hip of that same leg. Most people “cheat” a little and lean their hips backwards behind the foot since it’s much easier to balance and you feel less like you’re falling forward. The hips should be squared towards the floor, hipbones pointing straight down. The tendency is to roll the hip open but this causes a twist in the body that we do not want. An easy way to help facilitate the squaring of the hips is to flex your back foot and point the toes straight down towards the floor. It’s quite difficult to have the toes pointing down while rolling the hip open to the side. Once your hips are properly aligned, reach out through your fingertips and heel, creating length and space.

Just like a house of cards, success and stability begins with a proper foundation. So place your feet properly and your hips will follow.


Namaste