Yoga In My School » warrior

Warrior Poses – Anger and Heartbreak to Heal and Defend

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:57:14 +0000

As a member of the Namate Book Club I’ve been reading a wonderful little book entitled Downward Dogs & Warriors: Wisdom Tales for Modern Yogisby Zo Newell . The premise of the book is to educate the reader about the powerful stories from which Indian culture and yoga has come. It is “about using asana and related images for reflection, self-examination, and healing” in order to deepen “your yoga practice through observation of your body, your mind, and your emotions.”

The first story in the book is that of Shiva as Destroyer: Warrior Poses. In a nutshell, Shiva’s wife, Sati, threw herself into a fire becoming the sacrifice her father refused to provide during a ritual party where he was simply flaunting his power and prestige. Upon hearing of his wife’s demise, Shiva, overcome with grief and fury, ripped his hair from his head and threw it on the ground where it became a Warrior, the embodiment of his emotions.“This is Virabhadra, the personification of righteous anger and the noble impulse to defend the innocent.”

This pose and its story took on very personal meaning over the past week as an innocent child became the victim of molestation. Suddenly each time I do Warrior pose, I am Virabhadra filled with anger and anguish at the injustices of life. What was once a sometimes demanding physical pose now encompasses an entire range of strong emotions.

Newell encourages yogis to:

Reflect and journal on a time when you came to the defence of a righteous cause or an innocent person. Invite the emotional qualities of that experience into your practice of the warrior poses. Keep the experience in mind while practicing with softness in the eyes and openness in the heart.

It may be a too soon for me to practice “with softness in the eyes and openness in the heart” as I am still in protect and safety mode. However, knowing the story behind the pose has given me hope to work through the pain to the point where my heart is open and calm as I move into action.

There are far too many children who are victims of abuse. Please do everything within your power to protect and fight for their innocence. Be the Warriors for those who cannot protect themselves.

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Yoga Applications to Social Studies Curriculum – Warriors

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:05:06 +0000

One of the most popular poses in yoga is Warrior pose. It comes in three variations, creatively called Warrior I, Warrior II, and Warrior III. Warrior, with its three variations, is a terrific pose to examine and explore the cultural variations of Warriors throughout the world in a Social Studies curriculum.

warrior II

Social Studies – Cultural Variations of Warriors

In pairs, or small groups, have students study various Warriors – samarai, pirates, medieval knights, Vikings, Iroquois, Masai, Sikhs, Aztecs, Celts, Amazons, etc. Be sure to include a variety of cultural backgrounds, geographic regions, and time periods. Examine the rules, or honor code, followed by these Warriors. Possibly include weapons used, historical significance, strengths and weaknesses.
Have each group present their findings (poster, written, aural, powerpoint, video – be creative).
As you perform Warrior pose consider which Warrior comes to mind. Mentally choose another Warrior to see if the pose changes and in which ways. Does one version of Warrior pose (I, II, or III) remind you of a specific type of Warrior and why?
Create an affirmation which reflects your personal Warrior code (ex: I am strong).

Older students (tweens and teens) may also enjoy the Spike TV show Deadliest Warrior which pits two warriors against one another. Through scientific evaluation, dramatizations, and some really cool slow mo camera shots, they declare a winner. My kids’ favorite from Season 1 was Shaolin Monk vs. Maori Warrior. Be warned, however, that this is for OLDER kids, you may want to pre-veiw an episode before your four year old has nightmares.

I’d love to hear how your class applies this lesson plan. Be sure to send in your comments to tell me about what insights you’ve gained from studying Warriors of the world through Warrior pose.

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Free Yoga exercises for dryland training for teen athletes

DonnaKFreeman — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:57:26 +0000

A friend recently asked:

I coach a girls Pee Wee Rep hockey team in Trail/Castlegar, BC. They are 12-13 year olds who play primarily against boys teams throughout the year until girls playdowns at the end of the year. We will be starting dryland training next month which will continue once a week throughout the season until Provincials in March. Currently our dryland program consists of a varying combination of long distance progression running, sprinting, stretching, agility/mobility/speed excercises, core work and finishing with some sort of team building game. Can you recommend any age-appropriate yoga excercises for these girls? It would have to be something that a novice like myself could employ. Thanks Donna!

So here are some free yoga exercises to meet these needs:

The best thing for all teen athletes is to learn Sun Salutation A – it is a full body workout that builds strength and flexibility and works as a wonderful warm-up for dryland/pre-season training. You’ll want to repeat Sun Salutations continuously, following the flow of your breath, for 10 mnutes, or longer if you have time. Here is a great video tutorial which includes clear technique pointers for beginners.

Other yoga poses for athletes to include would be:
Warrior pose

warrior pose

Dancer pose

dancer pose

Low lunge
Pigeon pose

pigeon pose

Boat pose

boat pose final position

Finishing by lying on the ground hugging your knees to your chest then bring them to one side while looking in the opposite directions (reclined twist) and finally corpse pose (savasana). Staying for 5-10 minutes following a guided relaxation to focus the mind and relax the body.

corpse pose

I hope this helps and give ‘em hell this season!

I’ll be updating this post over the next few weeks with complete yoga pose descriptions so follow along on Facebook or subscribe to my RSS Feed.

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Warrior II Pose – Virabhradhrasana II

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:57:29 +0000

Warrior pose (virabhradhrasana) has three variations. I often teach Warrior II because the hips are line with the feet and shoulders making it a little easier to execute than Warrior I or Warrior III. Warriors are present is every culture as the individuals who defend the home and fight off enemies. They are often held to a high ethical code of honor which includes qualities of loyalty, mercy and courage. This can be seen in the code of chivlary of the medival knights, the Bushido (Way of the Warrior) of the Japanese Samurai, and the Kshatriya in India. Discover your inner Warrior while practicing this pose.

Warrior II Pose – Virabhradhrasana II

warrior pose

Stand with you feet wide apart
Turn your left foot in slightly (this is your break to stop you from pulling a groin) and turn your right foot out 90 degrees (this is your forward foot)
Inhale bringing your arms up to shoulder height, keep your feet, hips and shoulders in line with one another
Exhale and bend the forward (in this case ‘right’) knee – do not go past the 90 degree point with your ankle and aim (eventually) for a 90 degree bend in the knee
Gaze over your forward fingers, reaching your arms in opposite directions
With each inhale imagine the breath coming from the soles of your feet, exhale through your finger tips
Breathe deeply 3-5 times then switch sides and repeat
Imagine you are a mighty warrior ready for battle, strong and invinsible

Benefits include increases stamina, strengthens legs and core, stretches groin, chest and shoulders

This is a terrific pose to use with affirmations. Sayings such as, “I am strong” or “I can handle any challenge” or “I am powerful” can empower kids and teens with tremendous personal strength and resolve to always be their best and trust themselves to take adversity in stride.

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