I’m excited about a new feature on our blog in which our yoga instructor Stacia Nero (learn more about her here!) demonstrates various yoga poses and explains their benefits. I love yoga and I’m excited to get some tips from an expert. If you don’t do yoga yet, maybe this will inspire you to take it up :). Up first is Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II) into Radiant Warrior, a simple yet strong pose.
Stacia is wearing the FP Movement Off The Shoulder Pullover.
How To Do It
Warrior II should have effort and ease when being practiced. There is a dynamic interplay between the actions of the legs. You want the bent knee to be at 90 degrees and the back foot to be pressing down firmly to the floor. The tail bone should be lengthening down as you extend through the chest and the tip of the head. The tendency is for the body to lean towards the bent leg – the idea here is to keep extension and length in the torso. Hold Warrior II for 5 to 7 breaths and then move into Radiant Warrior.
To move into Radiant Warrior, lift the ribcage away from the hips, and then descend from the hips, arching your back. Let one hand rest on the back of the knee and extend the other arm upwards, with the palm facing the wall behind you. Gaze toward your hand and hold for several breaths. Repeat on each side.
What It Does
The benefit of the warrior pose is that it teaches coordination of movement and breath, as well as correct alignment. It increases strength in the abdominal, back, buttocks and leg muscles which contribute to the support of the spine. It tones the abdomen, and it opens up the legs, pelvic girdle and buttocks.
If you have a request for a specific pose or a question for Stacia leave it in the comments below and we will relay it to her!
Stacia teaches classes here at the Navy Yard Tuesdays 6:30 – 7:30 and Friday 12:15 – 1pm – check her out on Facebook here to find out where else you can find her!
Stock up on yoga gear in FP Movement.
More yoga posts from the BLDG 25 Blog.
Any recommended yoga poses for pregnant ladies? I’m currently 23-weeks along and finding my centre of gravity starting to shift…
~F
I have been practicing yoga from home with a DVD, and feel as if I’m not practicing Bow or Cobra pose correctly. I know they are beginning poses, but I would love to see how to get them right before moving on to anything more advanced!
I LOVE doing dancers pose to open up my chest and stretch my arms and legs but I want to know how to further the pose and the benefits of it (:
I’m so happy to see a yoga pose of the week! I’m new to yoga, but very interested and eager to learn!
I would love to see an explanation of pigeon pose! It’s one of my favorites :)
I really want to learn how to do the scorpion pose. I’ve been doing yoga for a while now but my upper body strength isn’t quite there yet. I’d love to read a description and be inspired to keep at it. Thanks for this :)
Pigeon pose is one of my faves too…I would love to see a breakdown of that pose!
I would love to see not a specific pose per say, but to have an explanation of a sun salutation. I have done yoga I few times, and would really like to get into it more being as I am a ski racer. I feel as if it would really help keep me in good shape while in ski season! :)
I am so excited about the yoga pose feature since I recently started yoga myself. Maybe you guys should do a video breakdown of each pose since for those who are a visual learners. I too would also love to see a breakdown of the sun salutation and moon salutation.
I’ve been told that I need to stretch my hip flexors; is there a yoga pose which helps with this?
Hey guys,
I am the Free People yoga instructor and have some answers for ya. I will see if I can to some some of these poses in the upcoming weeks. If you are pregnant Warrior II, a wide legged squat, and pigeon pose are good for you. If you have tight hip flexors you should play with pigeon and take bridge pose with your one ankle in a figure laying across the opposite thigh. Stay there and let the knee widen and drop to the side. If you are looking for guidance immediately check out yogajournal.com. They give good advice for advance poses. We will get there eventually. There are so many poses to touch on first. Be well everyone. Namaste.