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| Asana Analysis: Flying Warrior Pose: A physical therapist's view on how yoga applies to everyday life |
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by Lisa B. Minn, PT - January 13, 2012
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Provided by The Pragmatic Yogi
 Fly into the 2012 with this challenging and joyful pose. This is usually called Warrior III but I think it is such a fun pose that it deserves a fun name. The perfect Flying Warrior pose evokes a feeling of stability and power but at the same time should put a smile on your face. This is a challenging pose that requires much strength, flexibility and balance but there are several modifications available that make it accessible to almost any level of fitness. However there is a lot of room for error in this pose. When searching for images for this post, I saw a lot of pictures of people with hyper-extended knees and necks, sagging spines and shifted hips. So make sure to ask a teacher, therapist or experienced yogi friend for feedback about your alignment when working on the Flying Warrior.
Muscles Stretched: The hamstrings, gluteals and gastrocnemius of the standing leg.
Muscles Strengthened: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings and quadriceps of both legs. Gluteus medius, tensor fascia latae, and iliopsoas of the standing leg. Calf muscles and intrinsic foot muscles of the standing leg. Transvesus abdominis, obliques, errector spinae muscles. Deltoids, triceps.
Points of Body Awareness:
*Begin by establishing a strong high lunge pose.
*Pivot the torso forward as the front knee straitens and the rear leg lifts away from the ground.
*If your hamstrings are flexible, your torso and flying leg will be parallel to the floor.
*If your hamstrings are tight, your torso and flying leg will be angled to the floor but should form one continuous line.
*Is the pelvis level? Resist the urge to stack the hips or to shift the pelvis up on the flying side.
*What is the alignment of the standing foot? It should be in a neutral position with the toes pointing strait ahead, outer heel lined up with the pinky toe, the arch of the foot slightly lifted and the weight equally distributed among the ball of the big and little toes and the heel.
*Is the torso long and strait? Are you able to hold a neutral spine position?
*Is the flying leg strait and strong? Make sure that the knee cap points strait down toward the floor.
*The standing leg should also be strait and strong but be sure the the knee is not hyperextending.
*Attempt to hold the pose for 5 to 10 breaths.
*When you are ready to come back down, lower the flying leg slowly as you bend the front knee to return to a high lunge pose.
*Step forward to mountain pose and enjoy the sensation of coming back down to earth.
To Modify:
I strongly recommend that when first learning this pose, that you chose an alternate position for the arms rather than the classic overhead position. You can reach the arms out to sides (like an airplane) or reach back with the hands alongside the hips. When the arms are overhead, it is much more difficult to hold a neutral position of the pelvis due to the increased forces through the standing hip. By choosing a modified arm position, you can focus your attention on achieving an ideal alignment of the legs and torso and build up strength, endurance and balance.
For tight hamstrings, the torso will not be parallel to the floor but at an angle. This will allow you to work on strength and balance without over-stretching the hamstring or compensating for tight hamstrings by rounding the back or externally rotating the hips. But the pelvis should still be level, and the flying leg in line with the torso with the knee pointing strait down.
For those who struggle with balance, try placing the fingertips on a wall in front of you, resting the forearms on the back of a chair or pivoting the torso forward only a few degrees, perhaps even keeping the big toe of the back leg in contact with the ground.
 PT Notes:
This is an excellent pose for working on higher level pelvic girdle stabilization. It's great for increasing eccentric strength and endurance of the hamstrings and external rotators of the hip and is particularly useful for sports-related injuries such as patella femoral pain syndrome and ITB syndrome.
Use caution for those with significantly impaired balance and with muscle or tendon injuries that have not fully healed.
Images from Yoga.com and abc-of-Yoga.com.
Lisa Minn is a licensed physical therapist and yoga enthusiast. She has been incorporating aspects of Yoga and Pilates into her physical therapy practice since 2001 and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004. Her experience ranges from working with athletes at West Point and Georgetown to instructing elderly and wheelchair-bound clients in the fundamentals of Hatha Yoga. Lisa has conducted several lectures and workshops across the US, as well as in Honduras and Peru, where she volunteered her services. She currently resides and practices in Northern California. This and other articles by Lisa can be found at The Pragmatic Yogi.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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