I love the Warrior poses.
They make me feel strong, sure and powerful. They also let me feel vulnerable. One of my favorite classes to teach is the story of the warrior poses. In Western culture, we give and change names to the asanas. It makes it easier to pronounce, I think. But, then we lose the rich, colorful stories of the asana that almost always end with a morale lesson. One of my favorite books on these stories, Myths of the Asanas,
allows students of Yoga to understand where the poses originated. I read this right after I graduated my 200 hour YTT-Yoga Teacher Training. I felt like I needed more info on the why's of the poses. After I read the story of Shiva, Sati, Daksha and Virabdhra I was hooked. When I traveled to India in 2020 for my 300 hour YTT, I just had to see, touch and feel the places these stories came to light. Due to Covid forcing me home, I didn't get to go everywhere I wanted, but Rishikesh was so rich in history that I wasn't left wanting. Shiva. Is. Everywhere.
I mean it, everywhere.
Children know these stories like we know the story of Noah's Ark. They grow up holding stuffed Shiva dolls knowing that they too will be strong as Virabdhra. Vira means “hero” and bhadra is “blessing” or “friend.” Virabhadra is a hero and a blessing. The ferocious warrior that scares us is the same warrior who saves us. (Beyogi.com) See story link below. I hope that more Western yoga teachers begin to tell the stories. It's connects the students. They show God's as fallible, battling ego and learning from their mistakes to grow in enlightenment. I tell my babies these stories along with Brothers Grimm, Dr. Seuss and Aesop. All of them valuable.
Read the story here: https://beyogi.com/virabhadra-rise-warrior/