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Yoga poses

Warrior III Pose: Balance and Strength on One Leg

Stand on one leg and tip forward as the other leg lifts, until body and leg make one line, hips level. The standing hamstring and glute work hard.

Balance · Glutes · Hamstrings · Calves and ankles · Feet · 2 min read

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

How to do it

  1. 1

    Root one foot, soften the knee

    Weight onto one foot, spread across the big toe, little toe and heel. That leg stays long with the knee soft, never locked.

  2. 2

    Hinge and lift together

    Tip your torso forward from the hip as the other leg lifts behind you, at the same rate, like a see-saw. Nothing lifts on its own.

  3. 3

    One horizontal line

    Stop where your torso and your lifted leg make one line, roughly parallel to the floor. Lower is fine. A leg higher than your torso is not the pose.

  4. 4

    Level the hips, flex the foot

    Your lifted hip wants to roll open toward the ceiling. Turn it back down so both hip bones face the floor, toes pointing down, pressing back through the heel.

  5. 5

    Hands wherever you are steady

    Fingertips on a wall or a chair back is a full version, not a lesser one. Free-standing, start with your hands at your chest, then alongside your body, then reaching forward past your ears. Eyes on one spot on the floor.

  6. 6

    The test

    The standing hamstring and glute work hard, and your foot makes constant small corrections. If your lower back is working instead, lower the lifted leg until it is level with your torso. Step down slowly, then change sides.

Watch for

  • The lifted hip rolling open. The pelvis twists, the standing knee takes the strain and the standing glute stops holding you.
  • The leg higher than the torso. Your lower back arches and does the work instead of your hips.
  • Locking the standing knee. Your weight hangs on the back of the knee instead of the leg muscles, and the hamstring and glute stop holding you.

Questions

Why is Warrior III so hard?

You balance on one foot with your body tipped flat, so a small wobble moves a long lever. The standing hamstring and glute work the whole time while the lifted hip keeps trying to roll open. Fingertips on a wall or chair take the balance out of it while your legs still work.

What muscles does Warrior III work?

Mostly the hamstring and glute of the standing leg, with the small muscles of the foot and ankle making constant corrections. The glute of the lifted leg and the muscles along your back hold the line.

How long should you hold Warrior III?

A minute each side in Range · 01 and Balance · 01, with fingertips on a wall or chair in Range so a full minute is possible. In Pre-Run Yoga · 02 it is one breath at a time, at the end of a flowing sequence. There is no daily target: you meet it when your training day has one of those routines. Those are the times in the normal-length session: a long day holds a little longer, and a short day trims only the holds longer than a minute.