Sunday, April 15, 2012

Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 Mini Vinyasas

by Baxter and Nina

Last week in his post “Sequencing in the Style of Krishnamacharya, Part 2” Baxter described a Krishnamacharya-style mini vinyasa. Unfortunately at the time we didn’t have—and couldn’t find—a suitable set of photographs we could use to illustrate the pose that he was describing. However, the next time we had one of our little photo sessions, Nina cleverly decided to sneak in a few extras shots to illustrate the Warrior 2 mini vinyasa Baxter wrote about in his post. And Baxter had the idea of including a bonus set of photos to illustrate a second mini vinyasa, Warrior 1. We are now delighted to share the new photos with you, along with instructions for practicing the two mini vinyasas.

Moving in and out of a pose your breath can be very helpful if you’re feeling fatigued or even depressed. Although  it’s not as physical demanding as holding a pose for a long time, this way of practicing can be quite energizing and uplifting. If you have never practiced Warrior 1 or 2 dynamically, give it a try sometime and let us know what you think!

Warrior 2 Vinyasa

Start with your feet four feet apart, adjusted as usual, with your legs straight and your arms relaxed at your sides.
Starting Position
 On an inhalation, lift your arms up parallel with floor and bend your front knee to 90 degrees.
Inhale Position
Then, on your exhalation, lower your arms and straighten your front leg.
Exhale Position
Repeat this cycle five more times on your right side. And after completing six rounds on the right, repeat six round on your left.

Warrior 1 Vinyasa

The Warrior 1 mini vinyasa is very similar to the Warrior 2 mini vinyasa. Start with your feet four feet apart in Warrior 1 stance, with your legs straight and your arms relaxed at your sides.

Start Position
On an inhalation, raise your arms over head and bend your front knee to 90 degrees.

Inhale Position
Then, on your exhalation, lower your arms and straighten your front leg.

Exhale Position
Repeat this cycle five more times on your right side. And after completing six rounds on the right, repeat six round on your left.

1 comment:

  1. Great to see encouraging a mini flow with warrior 1 and 2. One of my instructors often has us move as you offer. Sometimes she suggests we "gently pulse" with our breathing while in warrior. So, with warrior 1, raise slightly as you breathe in and then drop back down as you breathe out. It's amazing to me that when you give the body a slight break from holding the pose, it's so refreshing and allows for the body to sink deeper when you go back to the pose.

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