How to Stop Tipping Over In Warrior III
Photo: Koldunov/Getty Images
Consulting Shape Fitness Director Jen Widerstrom is your get-fit motivator, a fitness pro, a life coach, and the author of
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How can I quit tipping over in warrior III?—@svanwalk via Instagram
In split-leg-stance poses—and especially in warrior III, where you’re poised on one leg with your outstretched body parallel to the floor—you’d be surprised how the strength required to create balance comes more from your core and inner thighs versus the legs and butt.
Working the pose itself will help you build strength exactly where you need it. Here's how:
Start with the feet: Actively grip the mat with your toes, creating a wrinkling sensation beneath both arches.
Then, with a gentle exhale, draw in your deep abs like a corset, and contract your inner thighs, pulling them toward your midline. Your effort should not be a one-off squeeze but a crescendo of muscle recruitment building the longer you’re in the pose.
From here, square your hips and shoulders with the floor, then transfer your weight onto your front leg. As you lift your rear leg up and back and reach your clasped hands forward, energetically extend the limbs in opposition: This should help prevent the bobble in your balance.
Got it? Try this yoga flow for stretching and strengthening your legs that incorporates a bunch of other balancing poses to work on.
