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Yoga poses

Reverse Warrior Pose: A Long Stretch Down Your Side

From Warrior II, turn your front palm up and reach that arm overhead while your back hand rests on your back leg. A long stretch down the side of your body.

Strength · Shoulders · Inner thighs · 2 min read

Why it works: Chapter 23, Stiff people work harder for every stroke

How to do it

  1. 1

    Start in Warrior II

    Step your feet about a leg's length apart. Front foot points forward, back foot turns in a little and stays flat. Bend the front knee over the ankle and reach your arms out front and back at shoulder height. That is Warrior II.

  2. 2

    Turn the front palm up

    Flip your front hand so the palm faces the ceiling. That one turn is what lets the arm travel overhead instead of jamming at the shoulder.

  3. 3

    Up first, then back

    Send the front arm up and a little back over your ear. Lift out of your waist before you lean at all: more up than back. Your back hand slides lightly down the back leg and rests there. It does not take your weight.

  4. 4

    The legs stay where they were

    Nothing below the waist moves. The front knee stays bent over the ankle, not falling inward, and the outer edge of the back foot keeps pressing down.

  5. 5

    Lengthen the underside

    Make the front-leg side of your waist longer, not the back side shorter. It is a reach, not a side crunch. Look forward, or up at your hand if your neck is happy there.

  6. 6

    The test

    A long, open line from the front hip all the way to the top fingertips. A pinch in your lower back means you went back before you went up: come up taller and reach again.

Watch for

  • Leaning back instead of reaching up. Your lower back folds and pinches, and the side stretch disappears.
  • Leaning on the back hand. Your arm props you up and the side of your waist stops working.
  • The front knee straightening or falling inward. The stance collapses and the knee takes an awkward twist.
  • Throwing your head back. Your neck takes the strain and the reach gets shorter.

Questions

What does Reverse Warrior stretch?

The side of your body from the front hip to the top fingertips: the side of the waist, the side ribs and the broad muscle behind the armpit. Your legs keep working underneath, the front thigh most.

Is Reverse Warrior the same as Peaceful Warrior?

Yes. Reverse, peaceful and exalted warrior are three names for the same shape.

Why does Reverse Warrior hurt my lower back?

You leaned back before you reached up, so your lower back folded instead of your side lengthening. Come up taller, reach the top arm up first and lean back only a little. If it still pinches, keep the arm straight up and skip the lean.

How long do you hold Reverse Warrior?

Not long. It is one shape in a short loop with Warrior II, a breath or a few each time round, for 25 to 50 seconds a side in total. There is no daily target: you meet it when your training day has one of those routines.