the Warriors and I
- jillcremens
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
In almost any active yoga class you go to, the warrior poses are called. Virabadrasana I, II, and III. But what are they? Why do we go into them in class? Why are they called the warriors? Why do I, as an American yoga teacher, find them to be so important in a yoga practice?
Yoga is an ancient practice that is thousands of years old. The spirituality, the mythology, and the history behind yoga is often left out in yoga classes. Even in my own trainings I find the mythology to be rarely touched upon. And to be honest, a 60-minute yoga class is never enough time to offer a completely wholistic yoga practice.
I've been meaning to get this story- in my own words so I can share this in class effectively. I do find the story- the spirituality, mythology of yoga to be just as important- if not more important than the physical practice. Each asana- each pose has a story and deeper meaning behind it.
Have you teared up at the end of a class? Have you ever wondered why you feel just great after a class? I truly believe we feel so good after yoga because of the thousands of years of ancient spiritual wisdom behind it.
The Warrior Poses — Virabhadrasana I, II, and III — are born from an ancient story of love and loss, fire and forgiveness, grief and grace. A myth that once lived in the ancient temples of India, now lives quietly each time you root your feet into the mat and rise into strength.
Long ago, the god Shiva loved Sati fiercely and completely. Their union was not welcomed by her father, Daksha, who believed Shiva was too wild, too untamed, too far beyond the rules of polite society. In his pride, Daksha held a great ceremonial feast and invited the entire universe... everyone except his own daughter and her beloved.
Sati decided to go anyway. She went not as a daughter longing to be seen. Sati went hoping for understanding…But was met with cruelty instead. When her father publicly humiliated Shiva, Sati’s heart broke and in her heartbreak, she chose release. She turned inward, into a deep meditative fire, and let her body dissolve into flame.
When Shiva heard of her passing, grief overtook him like a storm.
In his anguish, he pulled a lock of his hair from his head and cast it to the earth where it rose as Virabhadra, a fierce protector born of sorrow and devotion. Shiva sent Virabhadra to the kingdom not just to destroy… but to restore balance to a world tipped by pride.
Each Warrior pose reflects a moment in that story:
In Warrior I, we rise from the earth like Virabhadra himself: newly born, steady, powerful. In Warrior II, we stand grounded and alert: heart open, arms wide, eyes clear. In Warrior III, we move with precision and devotion fierce, focused, unwavering.
But, this is not a story about violence.
It is a story about what happens when love is dishonored…When grief moves through the body…When sorrow demands to be witnessed.
In the end, Shiva returns not as a god of destruction, but as a god of compassion. He restores Daksha to life and transforms loss into mercy. The fire of grief softens back into love.
To me, the warrior poses are about emotion, humanity, & humility. To understand that we can be overcome by our own emotions and the warrior poses remind us of the story to not always act on emotion.
The true message of the Warrior:
Not that we conquer…But that we endure. Not that we destroy…But that we transform.
On your mat, each Warrior pose becomes a living prayer. A reminder that you, too, can meet life with strength and softness. That you can hold grief without becoming it. That your heart can be both tender and mighty.
Each time you step into Warrior, you are not reenacting a battle…
You are remembering who you are.
A conscious warrior. Rooted. Open. Awake.
And always becoming.
big thanks to these sources for helping me to get my story together:
Comments