Hello March,

I remember one of the first yoga classes I taught. It was a prenatal class, and as we moved into Warrior I pose, I labeled it as such. One of the women expressed a dislike for the name because she didn’t want to be a fighter. I was a little thrown off because it was the first time that pose had been questioned. As a short woman, I liked the strong posture that prepared me for confrontation. Her comment continues to return to me when I teach the warrior poses, and I now have a better response.

The warrior poses (I, II, and III) are an opportunity to confront your own stuff. These invigorating poses challenge you physically: the legs are doing different actions, the arms extended overhead or out to the sides, and the spine elongated. It is difficult to remain upright, balanced, and at ease simultaneously. While you might become preoccupied with the physical aspect of the pose, what the poses do as well is encourage you to approach challenging aspects of your life with heart, rather than only muscle.

Like the story of Arjuna’s battle in the Bhagavad Gita, conflict in yoga is with oneself. Arjuna is on the battlefield talking to Krishna of his doubts about going to battle. He comes up with several reasons why he shouldn’t. But Krishna tells him that this is something he must do and has his help. We think of a warrior as someone who is tough and ready to fight. However, the story reveals a hero that expresses doubts and questions authority.

The battle is an allegory about our struggle in life. We can approach conflict solely with mental convictions, which harden us physically (tensing muscles in preparation for a conflict) and emotionally (closing off thoughts of others). But if we approach conflict with heart, we are more open to resolving conflict than fighting. Arjuna also recognizes that he is not alone in his struggle. With Krishna’s love and support, he is better equipped to confront the opposition than if he were alone.

Your warrior posture might look different from the three yoga poses. Nevertheless, as a human struggling with life’s stuff, find a posture that allows you to experience a sense of strength, balance, and ease in order to approach struggles and recognize that you are not alone with them.