Pose of the Week – Warrior II

What is happening in the hip in Warrior II?

I get LOTS of questions on yoga posture alignment.  I want to kick off this #new #series #poseoftheweek by tackling a question sent to me today by a yoga teacher training student. 

The question: What is the hip doing in Warrior II? 

She says: Dr. Ray Long and others say the back hip is in extension, and others say abduction. 

There was far MORE to this question, but the gist was: What’s the BEST way to do Warrior II? 

The answer: Well, it depends.

That was the most popular answer I ever got in spending 2 years on my Masters and 3 years on my Doctorate in Physical Therapy at UNC, and it’s true.

EXCEPT – there IS a best way to do Warrior II when you are talking about hip and pelvic girdle preservation – which means treating, preventing, or maximizing performance in that area specifically. 

In this 11’ video, I discuss how to approach Warrior II. A few major points:

Do in Warrior II

✅ Do position the pelvis in a way that gives the spine/pelvis, and hip priority, and protects the hip. You should be able to swim the pelvis around (see in video) and have no pinching or pain in the pelvis or hip. 

✅ Do bend both knees if you have any hip impingement or groin pain.

✅ Do optimize length/tension relationship of the pelvic floor and hip lock (see my book Medical Therapeutic Yoga for a complete explanation) for building power (strength + endurance) in these muscles. 

✅ Keep the bony landmarks of the pelvis even in this pose. This is not an asymmetrical pose of the pelvis. 

Do nots in Warrior II – Don’t be a lazy warrior.

❎ Don’t dump the ASIS onto the front femur. That is a lazy warrior. 

❎ Don’t jam up the spinal facets.

❎ Don’t hang on the “Y” ligament in the front of the front hip. 

❎ Don’t torsion the sacroiliac joint. 

Building Power & Preserving the Pelvis

When you do Warrior II following these guidelines, you actually make the pose harder, not easier. But it also makes it safer, while building MORE strength and endurance in the legs, pelvis, core, and hip.  

I look forward to sharing a new asana/pose with you each week, so we can explore safe asana evolution together. So send me your questions! 

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DISCLAIMER: YOU CAN DO WARRIOR II or ANY YOGA POSE however you feel is best for you. However, this particular Warrior II is for protection and preservation, as well as maximizing, pelvic girdle function (hip, SIJ, low back, pelvic floor). This and any other videos I instruct do not constitute physical therapy or a patient-provider relationship. User assumes risk in performing this or any video. Please get the approval of your healthcare provider before doing this or any instructional movement video.