Help My Standing Hero to Reverse, please!

Reverse warrior (standing hero) is one of the most challenging poses for me, yet it seems like such a small movement.  I just don’t understand how everything is supposed to be lined up in this pose.  Help?

You’re not alone.

It seems that we have a tendency to make things a little more complicated than they need to be in this posture (and maybe in life too, but that’s a whole other conversation).  I could definitely be wrong about that, but if we approach the posture with some basic alignment ideas in mind, it might begin to feel more accessible.  And, for those that tend to go “ugh” and tense up at the mention of it, perhaps you will begin to experience some moments of deliciousness within your Reverse Standing Hero.

From yoga teacher to yoga teacher, the approach for this posture may differ.  The two most likely approaches are from a Virabhadrasana I foundation and a Virabhadrasana II foundation.  The alignment of the hips determines whether or not this becomes a back bend or a side-body stretch.  You may be guided to move into Reverse Standing Hero from other postures, but the foundation of the pose will either be the same as Vira I or Vira II.

Let’s begin with Virabhadrasana II, or Standing Hero B, as we like to call it.  I find that this approach can be much friendlier to the low back.  If you think of this Reverse Standing Hero as a side body stretch, any crunchiness that you might have experienced in the lumbar portion of the spine can be avoided.  When moving into Reverse from Virabhadrasana II, the essential action is to lengthen both sides of the body as you slide your back hand down your back leg.  You don’t have to go far at all.  In fact, the moment you sense that there is a collapse or crunchiness in the low back or the side body, lift up out of it and reclaim the experience of spaciousness throughout the torso.  In Virabhadrasana II, the hips are open, with the back foot turned in slightly and the front knee stacked directly over the front ankle.  This foundation does not change.  To move into Reverse, turn your front palm up towards the sky, slide the back hand down the back leg and reach the front palm up and back, feeling for the stretch along the side of the body, while maintaining the length in the spine.  Keep the hips open.  Maintain strong legs with the front knee bent at a 90° angle.  There is a tendency to straighten the front leg as we reach back, so be sure to keep a solid foundation by committing to a bent front knee and a very straight and very strong back leg.

Moving into the reverse of  Virabhadrasana I, or Standing Hero A, is a very different movement.  Because this posture is more of a back bend, it is important that you have a strong awareness of the lumbar spine.  Consider allowing this to be a heart-opener that occurs more in the upper and middle part of the spine to reduce any unwelcome pressure and crunching in the low spine.  In Virabhadrasana A, the hips are more closed as they move towards being square with front of the mat. The front knee is stacked directly over the front ankle with the outer edge of the foot parallel to the outer edge of the mat, the front knee is bending at a 90° angle, and the back foot is turned in at a 45° angle.  To reverse from here, keep the foundation exactly as it is, making sure that the core is very engaged while you slide the corresponding hand down the back leg while reaching up and back with the arm that corresponds to the front leg.

I hope this helps and that you can reverse happily from now on!