To incorporate Warrior III into your practice, you need first to warm up some specific areas of the body to help you find more grace in your lift. This isn’t about looking good as you take flight; it’s about being mindful and stable to prevent injuries by not throwing yourself into a shape.
The more you prepare for your peak position, the better your alignment will be and the stronger the hold.
Here are some areas you should warm up before working up to Warrior III: your core and hips, your lower back, your inner thighs, and maybe your shoulders, depending on how you use your arms. Here are a few flow ideas that you can use to enter and exit this standing balance position safely.
Tip: After peak pose, rest your legs, stretch them out, and perhaps open your hips by doing a Pigeon Pose.
“Cat Tail Warrior (Beginner Friendly)”
Bring your knee up to your nose eight times each on either side. Your leg should be stretched behind you, and your stomach pulled in all the way to create a flat-back sensation. Practice keeping your hips level.
I tell my students to pretend that there is a large glass of water sitting on their lower back. The water will spill if one hip is raised. This is as important as a simple alignment check.
After a few deep breaths in Down Dog, step into the chair pose with your hands on your hips. Lift one knee to your navel and ground down with your standing foot.
Hold for five breaths, then step your toes backward to the center of the mat. While keeping both knees bent, bend both your legs and lean forward with your heart. Bring your heel up to your butt three times. Finally, extend your leg behind you. Flex the toes so they point to the floor. You could straighten your standing leg.
Find a Cobra/Up Dog hold to stretch your hips and then come back through the Chair.
“Wag The Dog (For A Little More Fire).
Come into Down Dog. Lift your leg and slide it out five times to each side. This will warm your hips as well as your inner thighs. Tap your knee to elbow 3-5 times in order to warm that hip.
Step into Warriors One. To ignite the inner thighs and core muscle more, squeeze the thighs towards each other. Open Revolved Warriors 2. Hold for five breaths to align the hips (both hips should point forward).
With hands on your hips or in the center of your heart, slowly open up into Crescent Lunge. As you begin to straighten your back leg, shift your weight onto your front knee.
Warrior II will stretch your hips. Cartwheel your hands up to the top of your mat, then repeat on the opposite side. After the second set, kneel for Camel Pose in order to stretch out the frontal hips.
“Balancing Warrior” (Core-Driven)
As you come to the Cat pose, press your right hand on your left thigh and suck in your navel to the spine. This will warm up your hips and ignite the thigh. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths. Repeat on the other side.
Use right knee-to-nose five times while in Down Dog until you feel a fire in your hips, shoulders, and core. Step your right foot forward into a low lunge while placing your hands on the mat or blocks. Your back leg should be fired up, and your belly should be lifted off the thigh.
Sweep your arms behind your ears and press your heart forward. From the fingertips to your heel, reach.
Press the right hip forward to keep the hips in alignment. On the same side, find your way to the Pyramid pose while keeping your front leg slightly bent. Reach your arms around your ears again.
Start by lifting your rear foot and extending the leg forward, with your heart in front. Maintain your hips at the same level, and reach your arms out and around your ears. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths and straighten the leg standing when ready.
Press your leg up into a standing split. Then, lift the leg and land in a Front Fold. Uncurl to Mountain. Do a standing backbend before going to Down Dog on the other side.
Use a Bridge and Wheel to stretch the hips, core, and lower back.
Warrior III: Practice Tips
Keep your Warrior 3 muscularly intact by pressing your toes while fully extending your chest forward. Drop the hip of the raised leg to keep your hips level. This will protect your lower back.
This will help you lift your leg from the thigh rather than the foot. Spin the inner thigh towards the portion that is standing and upwards towards the sky. Less leverage can mean more stability.
All balancing forms aren’t about standing up. It’s about how you can get back in shape after a fall. Get back on track if you’ve fallen off!