Warrior Pose II Virabhadrasana II

How to do the Warrior Pose II Virabhadrasana II

1. 1Stand at the top of your mat, then step your feet wide apart — roughly 3.5 to 4 feet — so your stance is stable but not strained.
2. 2Turn your right foot out 90 degrees so the toes point toward the short edge of the mat, then angle your left foot in about 15 degrees so the heel is grounded and the arch lifts slightly.
3. 3Align your right heel with the arch of your left foot, pressing all four corners of each foot evenly into the floor.
4. 4Inhale and extend both arms out to the sides at shoulder height, palms facing down, reaching actively through the fingertips without shrugging the shoulders.
5. 5Exhale and bend your right knee until it tracks directly over your right ankle, aiming for the shin to be vertical and the thigh parallel to the floor — do not allow the knee to cave inward.
6. 6Keep your torso upright and centered between both legs, neither leaning over the front thigh nor tilting back.
7. 7Turn your head to gaze over your right (front) hand with a soft but focused look — this is the traditional drishti for the pose.
8. 8Hold for 5 to 10 steady breaths, maintaining even pressure through both feet and an active reach through both arms.
9. 9To release, straighten the front leg on an inhale, lower the arms, and either pause in a wide-leg stance before switching sides or step back to the center of the mat.

Form tips

• Ground the outer edge of your back foot firmly — letting the back heel lift removes the stability base that makes the hip-opening stretch effective.
• Draw the front knee outward toward the little-toe side of the foot throughout the hold; this keeps the knee tracking correctly and deepens the inner-thigh opening.
• Soften the front hip crease rather than gripping — releasing the hip flexor allows the pelvis to settle and the stretch to move into the intended areas.
• Keep your shoulders stacked directly over your hips and resist the urge to lean forward over the front thigh, which compresses the lower back and reduces quad engagement.
• Lengthen through the crown of the head and breathe into the back ribs — expanding the chest helps maintain shoulder height and prevents the arms from drooping during longer holds.

Common mistakes

• Allowing the front knee to collapse inward toward the midline, which strains the medial knee ligaments and loses the intended hip abductor engagement — actively push the knee out to track over the second toe.
• Letting the back heel lift off the floor, which destabilizes the pose and lets the pelvis drift forward, shortening the groin stretch in the back leg — press the outer edge of the back foot down firmly.
• Leaning the torso over the front thigh instead of keeping it upright, which loads the lower back unevenly and shifts work away from the legs — stack the shoulders over the pelvis.
• Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears when holding the arms extended, which creates tension in the neck and reduces shoulder stability — draw the shoulder blades gently down and away from the ears.
• Rushing the hold or bouncing in and out of the depth, which prevents the inner thighs and groin from releasing — settle into the position and let the hold duration do the work.

Frequently asked questions