By Rosemary (Rudrani) Nogue, Yogaratna

The standing pose Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2) is one of my favorites.  Moving in, I become absorbed in its physical angles and alignments.  Any mind chatter drops away.  I feel my feet and legs grounding down into the support of the earth.  Engaging my abs and raising arms skyward, I feel solid and uplifted at the same time.

I become aware of the interconnectedness between my body and mind.  I settle into equal balance between my feet, and my mind feels balanced too.  It feels circular.  My physical balance creates mental balance, and mental balance creates physical balance. 

My spine is freed to soften and lengthen.  With the crown of my head over my tailbone — Voila! — I am even deeper inside.  There is only quiet. 

Staying in the pose uncovers my stamina.  The pose feels powerful while being challenging.  I feel clear, strong, resilient and elated.  I experience standing in total presence, right here, right now, being the Beingness I am. Moving out of the first side, I am more than ready for the second side.

Continuing in Virabhadrasana 2, a sense of inner presence arises.  It unwraps an experience of my inner warrior.  As my heart expands, I feel strong and powerful yet kind, loving and open at the same time.  This pose prepares me to move into my day.  It gives me Me!  No wonder Virabhadrasana 2 is one of my favourite poses.