Try Humble Warrior Pose to Build Core Strength + Proprioception
/Feeling scattered and overwhelmed?
Need to stretch after a long day of sitting?
Want to fire up your core and increase self-esteem?
Hello Humble Warrior Pose!
Humble Warrior Pose (also called Bound Warrior Pose) is a standing yoga pose that combines a chest opener with a forward bend to expand the heart while drawing attention and focus inward.
This intermediate yoga pose increases balance and builds core muscles while promoting strength and flexibility. It also encourages a sense of surrender and acceptance.
The Benefits of Humble Warrior Pose for Kids
Humble Warrior yoga is a wonderful pose to combat the negative physical effects that inevitably come with too many hours of sitting at a desk or working on the computer. This pose fires up the abdominal muscles, strengthening the core while stretching hips, chest and shoulders.
Humble Warrior also encourages feelings of grounding and introspection while strengthening proprioceptive awareness (our sense of where our body is in space).
In children’s yoga, we love turning poses into animals and nature. Try this fun variation of humble warrior pose and pretend to be an ostrich hiding your head in the sand!
How To: Humble Warrior Pose
From mountain pose, step your right foot back behind you into Warrior One
Heels in one line, right foot angles out 45 degrees, bend the left knee over the left ankle
Clasp your fingers behind your back
Inhale and lift your chest
Exhale and bend forward, bringing your torso to the inside of the left thigh
Lengthen the back of the neck and crown of the head toward the floor
Engage abdominals lifting belly and front ribs away from the top of the thigh
Press the heels of your hands together and draw the knuckles toward the ceiling
Ground the back foot and keep front knee over the ankle
Guide the left hip back and right hip forward
Stay for 3-5 breaths and then press through the feet to lift out of the pose and switch sides
Tips for Mastering Humble Warrior Yoga Pose
If you are new to humble warrior, separate your feet a little wider apart to assist with balance in the pose.
Evenly distribute the body weight in both legs by grounding firmly and consistently through the back foot while slightly lifting the arch.
If it is difficult to clasp hands behind your back, hold opposite elbows behind you or clasp hands overhead. If clasping overhead, reach your hands toward your back foot when you bend forward.
Resist the urge to rest your belly on your thigh. This will disengage the core muscles and create less stability in the pose.
Relax your jaw, face, and neck as you fold forward. Imagine any thoughts, habits or emotions that no longer serve you are releasing into the floor.
Kid-friendly Humble Warrior Pose Variations
Finding balance in Humble Warrior Pose can be tricky and some might find it easier starting with the back knee down. Decreasing the depth of the forward fold can also assist in creating more stability.
To be humble means to be modest and without an excess of pride. This pose encourages introspection, drawing the senses inward where we discover our strength and poise. In humble warrior, we learn to meet life’s challenges from a deep well of inner confidence and self-esteem.
Combining Humble Warrior Pose with Warrior One creates a fun sequence the stretches and strengthens the whole body. Warrior One increases our capacity to sustain focus and attention while Humble Warrior teaches us to go with the flow.
You can use the balance, determination and fluidity you have gained in these two poses to fly in Warrior Three, also known as airplane pose. Sing along as you make a moose, moving from Warrior One to High Lunge by lifting your back heel, then take off like a goose, flapping your wings in Warrior Three!
By tuning into ourselves during yoga practice and especially in Humble Warrior Pose, we increase interoception, which is a lesser-known sense that helps us understand and feel what's going on inside our body. Getting familiar and comfortable with our internal landscape allows us to become skilled at interpreting our bodily signals and adept at managing how we are feeling.
We love speaking positive affirmations as we practice yoga poses. In humble warrior, say to yourself “I am grounded” or “I trust myself.” Or simply close your eyes, deepen your breath and listen for own inner voice. The more you listen, the stronger and louder it will become!
Elevate Your Curriculum
Did you know Yo Re Mi offers an array of children's musical yoga and mindfulness resources for your school? You can:
- Request a professional development workshop
- Join a 30-hour certified kids yoga teacher training
- Download our app for exclusive videos and sequences -- with no ads!
- Inquire about brining the Yo Re Mi program to your school
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