Benefits: Opens hips, shoulders, and chest. Stretches the inner thighs. Doing the pose keeps you from opening a bag of chips.

Suffering Scale 4 / 10: Average. Comparable to getting a scrape. The deeper the bend in your front knee, the harder the pose is. So, you can adjust how much you have to fight in this pose. 

To perform Warrior II:

1. Along the length of your mat, have your feet in a wide stance just outside your shoulders.

2. Turn one leg out 90 degrees, toes/knee pointing toward the top short edge of the mat.

3. Bend the knee of the leg you turned out so it’s directly above your ankle. If your bent knee is in front of your ankle, that puts too much pressure on the knee joint.

4. Step your straight leg back a little bit to create a longer warrior stance. How far you step back will also determine how bent the front knee will be.

5. The toes of each leg should be pointing in the same direction as the knee cap of the leg.  

6. Have your upper body in a straight line with the legs facing the long side of the mat.

7. Press down on the outer edge of your back foot to keep that back knee from turning down. This is the pinky toe’s time to shine as they are the leader of the foot-outer-edge area.

8. Lift the arms to shoulder height in a straight line with your legs. Turn your head in the direction of the bent knee and gaze at the fingertips. 

9. Perform the same posture on the opposite side. A true warrior fights with balance.

Many people crave Warrior II Pose; it makes them feel powerful. Wearing armor gives a similar feeling. Yoga studios need to consider offering armor along with straps and yoga blankets to enhance their students' experience. Armor increases confidence and can make a relaxing yoga bell sound when you flick it.