Warrior I
Strength and endurance
This exercise is presented by Spiraldynamik.
Warrior 1 is the perfect antidote to excessive sitting. This exercise helps to achieve more range and suppleness in tight calves and thighs while also stretching the hip and knee flexors. It’s a great exercise for virtually everyone and everything. You'll not only improve your balance and range of motion, but also your strength and endurance. By slowly pressing your heel into the ground, you'll stretch out the calf muscles which is particularly useful for athlete's foot and metatarsalgia.
Begin by standing up straight with feet positioned a foot-width apart. Shift your weight to your left leg, pushing your thigh forwards slightly and firmly grounding the ball of your big toe. Bend your left knee to enable you to take a large lunge backwards with the right leg. Ground the toes and ball of your right foot to form a diagonal line from the right heel to the crown of your head. Carefully straighten your upper body so that it is upright, paying attention to the alignment of your pelvis. By lowering your pelvis at the rear, this causes the lower abdomen muscles to contract and gently guide the pubic bone towards the navel. Breathe in while raising both arms above you, keeping your shoulders nice and wide. Hold this position for a couple of breaths, then change side.
Note no. 1 – Be careful and respect your body's limits, particularly if you have hip or knee problems.
Note no. 2 – If suffering any foot-related pain that affects the large toe joint (Hallux rigidus or valgus) or Achilles’ heel, don’t overdo it when pressing your heel into the ground.
Note no. 3 – In the event of shoulder impingement, only raise your arms as far as feels comfortable.
Objective:
The lunge, combined with keeping the upper body straight, stretches any tight flexor muscles in the knees and hips. Keep the upper body straight and chest raised. A deep breath will be noticeable in the upper chest area. Be conscious of the strength being provided from below. Only by having flexible, stabile foot and knee axes can this strength flow to the rest of the body.
Our book recommendation:
Medical Yoga - TRIAS Publishers
Christian Larsen, MD, Christiane Wolff, Eva Hager-Forstenlechner, MD