वीरभद्रासन
Virabhadrasana II — Warrior 2
Vīrabhadra = Shiva's great warrior — the warrior's stance
Wide, low and unshakeable — arms stretched like a drawn horizon.
In the simplest words
Stand with your legs far apart, bend your front knee like you're riding a horse sideways, and stretch both arms out flat like airplane wings. Look over your front hand and stand strong like a superhero guard.
What it is
Named for Virabhadra, the warrior born of Shiva's resolve, this stance plants the legs wide, bends the front knee squarely over its ankle, and stretches the arms into one long line while the gaze rests over the front hand. Nothing moves, yet everything works — thighs burning quietly, chest open, breath long. It is strength practised as stillness: the pose teaches how to stay.
Before you practise — health first
Knee tracks over the ankle, never past or inward. With knee injury shorten the stance; with high blood pressure keep holds brief and arms lower; neck pain looks forward, not over the hand.
Getting into it
Step the feet wide apart; turn the right foot out 90°, left in slightly.
Raise the arms to shoulder height, palms down, in one line.
Bend the right knee until it stacks over the ankle — not past it, not caving inward.
Keep the torso vertical between the legs; shoulders soft, gaze over the right fingers.
Hold, breathing evenly, then straighten and change sides.
The breath
Long, even ujjayi-style breaths keep the legs steady longer than willpower does.
What it is kept for
Leg and hip strength, stamina, open chest — and the felt sense of grounded courage.