Virabhadrasana II

Notes

As in warrior I, the action of flexion in the front hip and knee is eccentric in relationship to the pull of gravity. Unlike warrior I, however, the abductors of the front leg are working concentrically to abduct the hip—because the foot is on the ground, this action is proximal and has the effect of rotating the pelvis open to the side. In the back leg, simultaneous hip extension and abduction are challenging—the articulation of the pelvis and sacrum at the SI joint can take some of the pressure of these actions away from the ligaments and capsule of the hip joint.

Like warrior I, a wide variety of opinions exists about how much external rotation is needed in the back hip joint. The amount of rotation depends on a variety of factors and should arise from the action of the foot and whole leg, rather than being an isolated hip joint action. The more mobility there is in the SI joint and hip joint of the front leg, the less spinal rotation is needed to turn the chest to face the side.

If the chest is not clearly facing sideways, the spreading of the arms can put pressure on the brachial plexus (the web of nerves that extend into the arm), which travels from the side of the cervical spine under the clavicle and under the pectoralis minor. Keeping the arms in line with the sides of the torso helps to prevent this compression, which can result in sensations of numbness or tingling in the arms.

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