Is Reverse Warrior Pose a backbend or a side bend?

It is mainly a side bend built on the Warrior II stance, with at most a gentle lift of the chest. Arching the lower back to reach further is a common error, so the reach should come from lifting the ribs up and over rather than leaning back.

How is Reverse Warrior Pose different from Warrior II?

The legs stay in the same shape as Warrior II Pose, with the front knee bent over the ankle and the back leg straight. Only the upper body changes: the front arm sweeps up and back, the back hand slides down the back leg, and the torso bends toward the back leg.

How long should I hold Reverse Warrior Pose?

Hold it for 5 to 10 slow breaths on each side when practicing it on its own. In a flow it is often held for a single inhale before moving into Extended Side Angle Pose on the exhale.

Is there an easier version of Reverse Warrior Pose?

Yes, you can lower the back knee to the floor for a kneeling version, or sit on a chair with the legs in the warrior shape and do the same side reach. A study of 26 healthy young adults found that the standing pose produced more front-thigh, back-thigh and lower-back muscle activity than the chair version, so the chair version builds toward the standing pose rather than replacing it.

Where should the back hand go in Reverse Warrior Pose?

Rest it lightly on the back thigh or shin, wherever it lands without the torso collapsing toward the floor. Avoid pressing on the knee joint itself, and keep the hand light enough that you could lift it without losing the pose.

Reverse Warrior Pose

What Is the Reverse Warrior Pose?

Reverse Warrior Pose is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads and also engages the glutes, the obliques and the muscles along the side of the torso. It is a beginner-level standing yoga pose, known in Sanskrit as Viparita Virabhadrasana, that starts from Warrior II Pose: the legs keep the same shape while the front arm sweeps up and back and the back hand slides down the back leg, turning the stance into a standing side bend.

The pose pairs a held leg position with a long stretch through the side of the body on the reaching-arm side, from the hip up through the waist, the ribs and the underside of the raised arm. The front-leg quadriceps do most of the work because the knee is held close to a right angle, the glutes and the outer hip keep the front knee in line with the foot, and the obliques stop the trunk from sagging backward. It is a common link in vinyasa classes, where it is often flowed with Warrior II and Extended Side Angle Pose in the sequence many teachers call Dancing Warrior.

How hard the legs work depends mostly on the front knee. A front thigh close to parallel with the floor makes the hold much harder than a shallow bend, and a shorter stance makes it easier. The side stretch comes from reaching the ribs up and over while the underside of the waist stays long, not from sliding the back hand as far down the leg as possible or arching the lower back, which is why the back hand rests lightly instead of carrying body weight.

It suits beginners and anyone who wants leg endurance and side-body mobility in one hold. Anyone who cannot yet hold Warrior II for several steady breaths should build that first, and a kneeling version with the back knee down, set up like a Low Lunge, lets the side reach be practiced with far less load on the front leg.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Vastus Lateralis: Primary
Vastus Medialis: Primary
External Oblique: High
Gluteus Maximus: High
Rectus Femoris: High
Adductor Longus: Medium
Gluteus Medius: Medium
Deltoid: Low
Erector Spinae: Low
Latissimus Dorsi: Low

Instructions

Stand with your feet wide apart, about one leg length, and your hands on your hips.
Turn your front foot out to point toward the front of the mat and turn your back foot in slightly, lining up the front heel with the arch of the back foot.
Bend your front knee until it sits over the ankle, moving the thigh toward parallel with the floor, while the back leg stays straight and the outer edge of the back foot presses down.
Extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height, palms down, to come into Warrior II.
Turn your front palm to face up and let your back hand slide down to rest lightly on the back thigh or shin.
Inhale and sweep your front arm up and back alongside your ear, bending the torso toward the back leg as the ribs lift up and over.
Keep the front knee bent over the ankle and tracking over the middle of the foot, and keep the underside of the waist long.
Look up toward the raised hand if your neck allows, otherwise keep your gaze forward.
Hold for 5 to 10 breaths, then exhale back to Warrior II and repeat on the other side.

Common Mistakes

Front knee caving in
The front knee drifts inside the big toe as the torso reaches back, so keep it tracking over the middle of the front foot.
Straightening the front leg
The front knee rises out of its bend as the arm sweeps back, which takes the work off the quads and turns the pose into a plain side stretch.
Leaning on the back hand
Pressing down on the back leg to reach further collapses the lower side of the waist and loads the back knee, so the hand should rest lightly enough to lift away.
Turning it into a backbend
Arching the lower back and pushing the hips forward squeezes the lumbar spine instead of lengthening the side body, so lift the ribs up and over rather than back.
Dropping the head back
Tipping the head back to stare at the raised hand compresses the neck, so keep it in line with the spine and look up only as far as is comfortable.
Softening the back leg
Letting the back knee bend or the outer edge of the back foot lift loses the base of the pose, so keep that leg straight and the foot pressed down.

Injuries

Reverse Warrior Pose is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The places it most often strains are the front knee, when it drifts inward past the big toe or pushes far ahead of the ankle, the lower back, when the side bend turns into a deep arch, and the neck, when the head is tipped back to look at the raised hand.

Keep the front knee stacked over the ankle and tracking over the middle of the front foot, keep the back leg straight with the outer edge of the back foot pressed down, and lift the ribs up and over instead of leaning back from the lower spine. The back hand rests lightly on the back leg; leaning weight into it, especially onto the knee, collapses the lower side of the waist and presses on the joint. If looking up strains the neck, keep the gaze forward, and if the raised shoulder pinches, bend that elbow slightly or keep the hand on the hip.

To make it easier, shorten the stance and bend the front knee less, or practice with the back knee down in a kneeling version. To progress, sink the front thigh closer to parallel with the floor and hold longer, or flow it on the breath with Warrior II Pose and Extended Side Angle Pose. Come out of the pose if you feel sharp pain in the knee, a pinching pain in the lower back or shoulder, tingling down the raised arm, or dizziness.

Overview

Primary Focus: Quads
Equipment: Body weight
Modality: Yoga
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Reverse Warrior Pose

The Reverse Warrior Pose is also known as:

Viparita Virabhadrasana
Peaceful Warrior
Exalted Warrior

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Reverse Warrior Pose a backbend or a side bend?: It is mainly a side bend built on the Warrior II stance, with at most a gentle lift of the chest. Arching the lower back to reach further is a common error, so the reach should come from lifting the ribs up and over rather than leaning back.
Q: How is Reverse Warrior Pose different from Warrior II?: The legs stay in the same shape as Warrior II Pose, with the front knee bent over the ankle and the back leg straight. Only the upper body changes: the front arm sweeps up and back, the back hand slides down the back leg, and the torso bends toward the back leg.
Q: How long should I hold Reverse Warrior Pose?: Hold it for 5 to 10 slow breaths on each side when practicing it on its own. In a flow it is often held for a single inhale before moving into Extended Side Angle Pose on the exhale.
Q: Is there an easier version of Reverse Warrior Pose?: Yes, you can lower the back knee to the floor for a kneeling version, or sit on a chair with the legs in the warrior shape and do the same side reach. A study of 26 healthy young adults found that the standing pose produced more front-thigh, back-thigh and lower-back muscle activity than the chair version, so the chair version builds toward the standing pose rather than replacing it.
Q: Where should the back hand go in Reverse Warrior Pose?: Rest it lightly on the back thigh or shin, wherever it lands without the torso collapsing toward the floor. Avoid pressing on the knee joint itself, and keep the hand light enough that you could lift it without losing the pose.