Warrior 3 Pose

Virabhadrasana III

"Asanas performed with a deep sensitivity to the breath are ten times more beneficial than those without breath awareness." - Kripalu

Warrior 3 Pose

HOW TO PRACTICE Warrior III Pose IN YOGA (Virabhadrasana III)

Benefits, How to Instructions, Modifications, and Common Alignment Mistakes for Warrior III Pose

 

Warrior III Pose (Virabhadrasana III) interlacing hands

Warrior III (Sanskrit name: Virabhadrasana III) is a challenging yoga pose to say the least. It will push you to your limits in terms of balance, flexibility, strength, and mental focus. It is one of the most challenging of the standing balance yoga postures. It calls upon many different alignment points from other asanas. 

Benefits of Warrior III Pose

It’s easy to see how practicing Virabhadrasana III strengthens the standing leg. But the back leg also benefits, because you have to engage the gluteal muscles to maintain the lift. This builds a great sense of where your body is in space (also known as proprioception), as you must extend your leg straight back from your hip (without seeing it!) to do this pose correctly. The hamstrings of the standing leg stretch deeply as you lift the back leg up. The outer hip muscles (external rotators) of the standing leg also get a big stretch as you draw the opposite hip toward the ground. 

The core muscles of the abdomen and spine work diligently to maintain the yoga pose, and the back muscles that stabilize the spine grow strong from practicing Warrior III. Extending the arms by the ears strengthens the shoulders, and adds even more challenge to the core muscles and spinal extensors. 

Maintaining this asana requires a great deal of focus. Like all balance poses, Warrior III will build energy and focus in the mind and body. As the name implies, this is a powerful yoga posture that brings you straight to the battlefield, so to speak, as it confronts even experienced yogis with physical and mental demands.

How to do Warrior 3 Pose

  1. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) with your feet hips-width apart at the front end of your yoga mat.
  2. Take a moment to feel your feet on the floor. Shift your weight forward and back, and side to side, to find the weight of your body centered over your feet. 
  3. Place your hands on your hips. Feel the connection from your feet all the way through your legs, hips, and spine. Grow taller out the top of your head.
  4. Continue grounding down through your right foot as you begin to lift your left foot and leg off the ground. 
  5. Move your body forward as one piece, bringing your torso forward as your back leg lifts. Bring your body into one long line toward an orientation that’s perpendicular to your standing leg.
  6. Extend your arms outward from your shoulders at a 90-degree angle to your torso. Alternatively, you can extend the arms alongside the torso, so that your palms face your hips. The most challenging arm variation is to extend your arms out in front of you, next to your ears, so that they are parallel to the ground and each other.
  7. Lift your left leg and shoulders up toward the sky. Take care not to lift your head. Instead, lengthen the back of your neck so that you are looking at the ground.
  8. Stay for 5 or more deep breaths.
  9. To release the yoga posture, mindfully raise your body to an upright position as you lower your left foot to the floor.
  10. Stand in Tadasana, taking in the effects of the asana. How do your legs feel now? Where is the sensation the strongest? Does any part of your body feel strained? If so, set an intention to practice the yoga pose on the second side without straining.  
  11. Repeat on the other side.

Try Us Free! Get a Sample Pose Report to Experience the Full Benefits of the YogaU Pose Library.

Click Here

Check out our premium content

Video practice examples

For every yoga pose

Learn Common Alignment issues

And how to deal with them

Tips for beginners

Learn the best prep poses for each yoga pose

sign up now

Try Free for 7 Days

FAQs

Curious to learn more?

See all FAQs

FAQs

How to personalize my practice?

The Yoga 2.0 Pose Library helps you fit yoga poses to your individual body. It provides tools for you to customize yoga poses to your body's needs in order to gain the benefits of each yoga pose. 

When working your way through the Yoga 2.0 Pose Library, pay particular attention to the Yoga 2.0 Poses section as well as the Preparatory Poses under the Teaching Tips tab. This is where you will find some of the juiciest content in the Yoga 2.0 Pose Library!

What do I get When I sign Up?

When you register for a basic account, you get access to basic pose information about each yoga pose. You can also view three Pose Library blog articles or three yoga pose video tutorials each month. 

If you choose to register for a premium account, you will have access to our library of 1000s of unique Yoga 2.0 pose modifications, video tutorials for each yoga pose, preparatory yoga poses and common misalignments for every yoga pose, precautions, and more!

If you choose to subscribe to our premium Plus membership, you will also get access to our Yoga Sequence Builder, which allows you to create a yoga practice sequence with any and all of the yoga poses featured throughout the Yoga 2.0 Pose Library!

What are Yoga 2.0 Poses?

The idea behind Yoga 2.0 is that yoga poses should be individualized for every person. 

Yoga 2.0 Poses give you a foundation to begin designing your own customized yoga practice that suits your body's needs.

Choosing the right Yoga 2.0 Pose begins with your relationship with your body and making healthy choices that respect your personal boundaries. 

Is this for beginners too?

The Yoga 2.0 Pose Library is for every body! 

Whether you are a beginner or already far along on your yoga journey, the Yoga 2.0 Pose Library has something for everyone. 

Are you looking for creative, fun ways to modify yoga poses? Check out our collection of Yoga 2.0 Poses, which features 1000s of Yoga Pose Modifications. 

Looking to expand your practice or teaching? The Teaching Tips and Deepen the Pose sections provide fun ways to challenge your yoga practice as well as practical tips for learning and teaching new yoga poses. 

Can't find a certain pose

Our Yoga 2.0 Pose Library is an ever-expanding library. 

We will be adding new yoga poses over time - keep checking back for our latest yoga poses!

Share

Check out our Mastery content!

Get access to all the Pose Library has to offer by signing up for our Mastery membership.

Includes Pose Precautions and special access to our state of the art Yoga Sequence Builder.

 

View options

Sorry, You have reached your
monthly limit of views

To access, join us for a free 7-day membership trial to support expanding the Pose Library resources to the yoga community.

Sign up for a FREE 7-day trial

You need a free account to do this

Register for a free account to save your Favorite Poses! You can return to them again and again!

Click below to join us!

Simply click below to register and join us. Your Favorite Poses will appear in your private Dashboard section of the site.

Get your free account

Login

Check out our premium content

Get access to all the Pose Library has to offer by signing up for one of our premium memberships.

 

1000s of pose modifications & more!

The Yoga 2.0 Pose Library features 1000s of yoga pose modifications, video tutorials, teaching and practice tips, best prep poses, and common alignment issues for every yoga pose.

 

View options