Virabhadrasana II
Vira: Warrior
How to Achieve the Pose
From standing pose or Tadasana, step your right foot farthest away from center body as comfortably possible, with the toes pointing towards the right. The right hip is turning out. The left foot stays in place with the toes still pointing forward, left hip stays neutral.
Keep your torso pointing forward, while both arms rise from the sides at shoulder length. Now just turn your neck towards the right, looking straight ahead at your right fingertips. Bend the right knee to make a perpendicular angle with your ankle. DO NOT let your your knee pass over your toes, as this tightens the quadriceps too much, adding stress to your knee.
How to Activate the Pose
Oftentimes we perceive this pose to be easy because it looks and feels like you are doing nothing besides maintaining the posture. Here is a simple trick to help you gain maximum benefits from this pose: Try planting your feet firmly on the ground, actively pushing into the earth and look straight ahead while doing so.
Activating energizing the foot into the ground counteractively nudges the hips to slightly lift, creating more space between the sacrum, allowing your body to use resistance against gravity to loosen the hip joints.
This is an also excellent posture to strengthen and balance your emotions governing the Root Chakra! These include sensations of groundedness, security, trust and and the process of surrendering or letting go.
Hum Yoga 