Virabhadrasana - Remembering the warriors who walk among us.

Virabhadrasana I (Sanskrit: वीरभद्रासन ) or Warrior 1 Pose is an asana commemorating the exploits of a mythical warrior.

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. This day is reserved for our warriors - those who fought for us and for our freedom.  Thanks to them, we are free.  

In yoga, we practice Virabhadrasana to pay homage to the warrior who lives in each of us, to find the balance of holding on and letting go, to face our fears and our insecurities, to find strength in weakness and to find humility in ego.  

The Sanskrit name for the Warrior is Virabhadrasana - which translates to hero (Vira) and friend (Bhada).  The name of this asana is rooted in Hindu mythology.  The story goes like this:  

A high-powered priest named Daksha threw a party but did not invite his daughter Sati and her husband Shiva, an even more powerful guy who also happened to be the supreme ruler of the universe.  Sati decided to go alone and when she arrived, she and her father got into an fight.   

Unable to withstand his insults, she spoke a vow to her father, “Since it was you who gave me this body, I no longer wish to be associated with it.” She walked to the fire and threw herself into it. 

When her husband and ruler of the universe Shiva heard of his wife Sati’s death, he was devastated. He yanked out a lock of his hair and beat it into the ground, where up rose a powerful Warrior.  Shiva named this warrior Virabhadra and ordered him to go to the party and destroy his father in law Daksha and all his guests. 

Vīrabhadrāsana I is his arrival, with swords in both hands, thrusting his way up through the earth from below.  

Vīrabhadrāsana II he sights his opponent, Daksha.   

 Vīrabhadrāsana III is the action of  moving swiftly and precisely to decapitates Daksha with his sword.

Shiva arrives at the party and sees the decapitated Daksha. Shiva absorbs Virabhadra  (the warrior) back into his own form and then transforms into Hara, the ravisher. Filled with sorrow and compassion, Shiva finds Daksha’s body and gives it the head of a goat, which brings him back to life. In the end Sati is also reborn.

Life can be ugly, and then it can be beautiful in the next moment. It is holding on and letting go,  finding strength in weakness, humility in ego, and forgiveness in pain.  That’s the life of the warrior in each of us.