Definitely one of those poses that looks easier than it actually is, Virabhadrasana II (pronounced veer-ah-bah-DRAHS-anna) is a relatively common pose for you to come across during a yoga class. This strong and powerful pose is named after the mythical warrior Virabhadra. There are quite a few key alignment cues for this pose, including:

🙏 The front knee is directly above the front ankle
🙏The hands are in line with the shoulders
🙏The gaze is at the index finger reaching in front of you
🙏The back foot is parallel to the back of the mat or turned in slightly
🙏The length of your stance is indicated by having the wrists directly above your ankles and the shoulders above the pelvis
🙏The heel of the front foot is aligned with the instep of the back foot

​There is method behind these alignment cues! This pose externally rotates the hips and the thighs. Maintaining a pulling inward action with the feet and inner legs helps to strengthen the hips, legs and ankles whilst stretching these parts of the body. The poses also stretches the groin, the chest and the shoulders. With all these subtle details, Warrior 2 is a wonderful pose for building stamina as well as strength.