Virabhadrasana II – Svadhishthana
The sacral chakra is in charge of our creativity, pleasure, sensuality, feelings, and emotions. When there is an imbalance in this chakra, we may experience mood swings and have negative body image. We may also feel drained and insecure about our decisions. Using hip openers, we can begin to balance the sacral chakra and feel more passion, creative, and present in our body and feelings.
How-to
- From downward facing dog, step your right foot in between your hands. Stack your right knee over your right ankle
- Seal your back heel down so your back foot is parallel to the short edge of your mat. Align your front heel to your back arch (or go wider).
- Windmill your left arm back and right arm forward. Your chest is facing towards the left wall. Glance forward toward your right fingertips
- Bend deeply into your right knee, still stacking over your ankle. Bring your thigh bone parallel to your mat. Push through the outside edge of your foot and squeeze your right glute. To help externally rotate your hip, imagine spinning your inner thigh towards the ceiling
- Push down onto the outside edge of your left foot and squeeze your quad to straighten your leg. Try to keep your left hip neutral, not leaning forward or back. If your hips are REALLY open, you can attempt to bring your left hip back.
Tips
- If your hips are tight, widen your stance. Bring your right foot closer to the right side of your mat, and your left foot closer to the left side.
- Place your hands on your hips to see if their even. If your back hip is higher, bend deeper into your front knee and push your back hip forward and down.
- If your front knee is collapsing inwards, put more pressure on the outside edge of the front foot, try to find inner arch engagement by lifting and spreading your toes, and squeeze your right glute.
- Look at your back hand, see if you need to lower or raise it.
- Notice if you’re leaning too far forward or backwards, stack your shoulders over your hips.
