Warrior 1 Pose (Virabhadrasana I)

Warrior 1, or Virabhadrasana I, is a standing posture that asks for strength and mobility at the same time. The front leg holds a deep lunge while the arms reach overhead, so the quadriceps and glutes work isometrically while the hip flexors of the back leg and the shoulders lengthen. What makes it harder than it looks is the hip alignment: both hips face forward over the front foot, which demands rotation from the back hip that many people simply do not have, and the temptation is to let the back hip open outward instead. The other common compensation is arching the lower back to get the arms vertical. Keep the ribs down and reach only as far as the shoulders allow. A shorter reach with a long spine is worth more than a tall one built on a compressed lumbar spine.