This week we’re kicking off our Warriors in the Wild challenge inviting you to bravely venture outside your comfort zone, embrace your inner warrior, and strike a warrior pose off the yoga mat. Over the next 5 days we’ll post a daily photo and instructions with variations of Warrior / Virabhadrasana yoga poses.
Follow along with us as we take our practice outside, grounding in and connecting to our beautiful and bountiful Mother Earth.
Each post you share with the hashtag #pushnawarrior and @pushnawellness tag is an entry to win:
- 1 current member/class pack holder will win a Pushna goodie bag AND one free workshop or SUP class (approx. $100 value)
- 1 Non-member (new client) will win 1 month unlimited wellness membership ($75 value)
⚠️ Make sure you do a warm-up before getting into any poses and always practice on both sides.
Day 1 – Warrior 1 / Virabhadrasana 1
Pose breakdown: Start in a plank position with hands under shoulders, then lift those hips up and back into a down dog. Kick one leg up to the sky keeping the hips level with one another. Step that foot all the way up to the hand into a deep lunge. Back foot comes to a 45 degree angle toward the front of the mat and the front foot faces forward. With the front knee bent, rise up. Hands can come to prayer or extend up as you reach for the clouds. Keep the lunge in the front leg.
Stay here or explore humble warrior and prayer twist from the same stance:
- Humble Warrior: Interlace hands behind you and bow just inside your front leg – keep a long spine – come back up on an exhale.
- Prayer twist: Bring hands into prayer and hook your opposite elbow outside the lunging knee – draw the hands toward the sternum as you twist. Adjust your stance wider as needed to allow the twist, or even come onto the ball of the back foot.
⚠️Make sure you do a warm-up before getting into any poses and always practice on both sides.
Day 2: Crescent Warrior / Ashta Chandrasana
Pose breakdown: Start in a plank pose and step one foot up between the hands. Stay on the ball of the back foot as you rise up and bring hands and gaze overhead (keep hands in prayer and gaze forward if needed for balance). Back knee can be bent as you find length in the spine and maybe even a backbend.
Stay here or explore a flow:
- Lunge Twist: Whichever foot is forward, lower the opposite hand down inside the leg and twist toward the lunging leg, free hand and gaze extend to the sky.
- Side Lunge/Skandasana: Bring the twisting hand back down inside the foot and switch hands as you open up to the side. That back heel slightly lowers.
- Standing Splits: Plant both hands down in front of the feet and square the hips to the front. Lift up off the back foot to standing on the front leg. Bow it in as foot reaches up. Lower the lifted foot and come into a forward fold.
Day 3: Warrior 3
Pose breakdown: Start in a mountain position, then lift one of your legs behind you – full expression have toes and feet lifted from the ground – but if balance is not there today keep your toes rooted behind you still allowing for some balance. Kick one leg up towards the sky keeping the heel in line with hips. Leaning forward your hands can be in prayer at heart center, forward, out in airplane or behind you.
Stay here or explore a flow:
- Majorette: Bring the back leg all the way forward with a bent knee and balance it out in front, option to straighten the leg.
- Half Moon: Send the front leg back behind you into Warrior 3, lower the hand onto a block or the ground (the same hand as the balancing leg), stack/open the hips as the other arm extends up to the sky.
- Triangle: Lower the leg with foot will face out perpendicular to your front foot. Arms in a T-shape out to the sides, lean toward the front foot and pivot the hand inside the shin, a block, or the ground.
Day 4: Warrior 2 / Virabhadrasana II
Pose breakdown: Start in a wide legged stance with the front foot facing where the front of your mat would be and back foot and hips facing where the long edge would be. Lunge into your front leg up to 90 degrees. Open the arms up to a T and gaze over the front fingertips.
Stay here or explore:
- Reverse Warrior: Flip the palms up and lift front arm and gaze up to the sky, the other arm can slide down the straight leg or come to the low back as you breathe into this side stretch.
- Sky Archer: Straighten the front leg and bring the back arm overhead and clasp the front wrist to deepen the side stretch.
- Triangle / Trikonasana: Bring arms back into a T, hinge toward the front foot and pivot the hand inside the shin, a block, or the ground. Gaze up or down as you spiral chest perpendicular to the ground.
- Side Angle: Lift back up into Warrior II and lower front forearm onto thigh, other hand reaches up and over your ear toward. Option to reach for a bind behind the bent leg.
Day 5: Partner Warrior Poses
Here are a few inspirations but feel free to grab a partner and make it your own. You’ll have until the end of next week to get your entries in for a chance to win!
- Warrior 1 facing one another hands together
- Side angle front hands/fingertips touching
- Warrior 2 with front hand palms together or you can face the same direction and touch front and back fingertips
- Warrior 3 holding palms together and facing
Come back tomorrow for Day 5! Or follow along on our Instagram @pushnawellness and Facebook page.