So M and S took a class today at one of the many studios in downtown Austin. It was a wonderful sweaty class:
Hip openers.
Shoulder openers.
Back bends.
Everything we needed today!
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| Warrior I |
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| Warrior 2 |
It puzzles us?! We can understand the fact that before our 200 hour intensive teacher training we would've had no problem. Its a natural progression, you move from I into II. But NOW that we've immersed ourselves in yoga and the principals of optimal alignment this natural progression seems flawed. They should really be named differently (neutral vs external warrior).
Warrior I uses neutral hips (which unless you are a much more avid practitioner will be tight), that point forward like headlights to the front of the room, while you have the back leg behind you and the femur, knee, and ankle and second toe pointed at a 45 degree angle as you bend into the front leg. And, the ankles need to either be in line or at hips width distance apart. Ok. Seems pretty simple we can handle that.
This is where it gets tricky!!
Teachers tend to move from Warrior I into Warrior II. This is when your foundation - your feet have to move. Your hips open and point in the direction of the side wall, you do this as you slide your back leg and rotate it open so that your front ankle is aligned with the back arch and your foot and knee and femur are pointing with your hips to the side wall.
Now this may seem pretty easy to do, but it gets more complicated.
Teachers expect the beginner student to move in between these postures, without calling out any alignments cues (starting at your feet and moving up to your hips). And they want students to do this quickly because you only have the length of an average breath to do this - we're not talking a meditative yogi breath which can last for minutes if there in 'the zone'. No these teachers want you to do this in a normal inhale-for-3-and-exhale-for-3-breath.
Let us take you through the risk platforms now so you can understand why this move is frowned upon:
1. The Knees: If you don't align your second toe with your ankle with your knee with your hip stress will occur. 'So what's a little stress?' is probably what your thinking right now. We'll our knees take a whole lot of stress. They are the Weakest Link! And they'll go home if you stress them too much - home of course really means they'll scream in pain and send you to the hospital. See the knee doesn't have any muscle around it unlike our hips. This means that our hips will power through a pose fine but the tendons around the knees won't hold and will get pulled out of shape - injuries that can last for a lifetime!
2. Lower Back: If the platform isn't cued properly not only do the knees suffer but if we don't cue for a neutral hip alignment (inner thighs back and sitting bone down - in this case) stress will go again to the next weakest link, our lower back. It will take a lickin' and keep on tickin' if the alignment is cued properly because it will engage our abs specifically our transverse abdominals - those deep abs that wrap around our bellies like a sexy corset. These will help protect our lower back from taking all the stress. But if we don't cue these our lower back is at risk of being injured - especially when our platform is changed (like going from Warrior I to Warrior II). And if you've ever thrown you back out you know that getting out of bed isn't so easy any more - its more like a log roll!
3. Periformis: This strong abductor (often used as a stabilizer - this means keeping you in alignment) can also be at risk for taking all the weight of your upper body. This muscle wraps from the tip of your femur (greater trochanter) to your sacrum. And S has pulled this baby. When it goes, your lower back goes, your legs go. Everything. Its like that last piece of jenga that gets pulled and topples the entire tower. You won't be able to walk, run, swim, cycle, even sit on a chair without a dull ache or more if you injure this. So once again, cue from the base (the foundation) up to the main weight bearing girdle - the hips! And be smart don't move from two different foundation postures.
So now that you've seen the risks, and the timing. We would reiterate again, be sensible and don't move from Warrior I to Warrior II. Teachers are there for the students welfare, so cut out the risks and keep the postures simple. Just because postures are numbered in order doesn't mean they should be done that way. And to all the yogis that are cued to do these postures: take your time to find yourself in the pose, watch your base and be smart. If something feels oddly uncomfortable in any of the areas mentioned - and you'll know what oddly uncomfortable feels like (that sensation before the 'ouch' pain comes in) - stop, move out of the posture and take one your more comfortable with.
Stay grounded,
S & M
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